SideBySide Children's Village Society
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Mission Statement
SOS Children's Village BC is the only SOS Children's Village in Canada. We provide a separate model of foster care. OUR VISION: Every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security. OUR MISSION: We provide homes, a supportive community, and programs to help foster children and youth in need grow into caring, self-reliant adults.
About This Cause
SOS Children's Village BC was incorporated in 1986 and the Village has operated since 1999. The Village, our flagship program, was created as a grass roots response to the unmet needs of children and youth in the foster care system; namely the frequent replacement breakdowns and moves for children and youth in foster care. The Village has a unique structure based on the model implemented by Hermann Gmeiner, the founder of SOS Children's Village International. He believed that a loving consistent family, home and community create a circle of healing, belonging, support and positive growth for the child in need. By establishing this circle of healing, a child develops resiliency and has a sense of renewed hope. SOS Children’s Villages operates over 550 Villages in 134 countries, providing housing, foster parents, and therapeutic programs, as well as operating educational, medical and vocational centres. SOS Children’s Village BC is affiliated with SOS International and SOS Canada, and operates programmatic SOS Children’s Village in Canada. We focus on children and youth who have been removed from their families of origin by the Ministry of Children and Family Development and are under the guardianship of the Ministry. Our model of care takes into account that the most vulnerable and least visible children in the Province of British Columbia all too often receive highly compromised service in the mainstream system. We are guided by the boundaries of the Provincial Legislation for child welfare in terms of providing support to Caregivers contracted by the government. The SOS BC continuum of service is demonstrated through a model of community support and foster family enhancement supported by efficacious program delivery. Our Village is the only SOS Children's Village in Canada. The model of the Village is unique to the Canadian context, and throughout our experience working with foster children it became the only service of this type provided to them. We do not only provide homes, caregiver capacity building, psycho-social support, cultural and recreational support, or transition services; our model takes the wraparound approach to make all these services available to our children and make sure that the main driver in the development of the child is the family, which makes all our activities based on the principle that "no child is deprived from a loving family". Our Vision: Every child belongs to a family and grows with love, respect and security. Our Mission: We provide homes, a supportive community, and programs to help foster children and youth in need grow into caring, self-reliant adults. Our Values: • Courage: We take action • Commitment: We keep our promises • Trust: We believe in each other • Accountability: We are reliable partners OUR PROGRAMS Caregiver Support: Caregiver support provides foster parents and caregivers with support and encouragement, helping them to understand the complex psychological and behavioural dynamics that often accompany vulnerable children and youth. Mental Wellness Support • Individual & Family Counselling: This form of counselling is a traditional form of support for individuals and families with a focus on resolving issues/conflicts and building communication skills. It is offered in conjunction with other services or independently. • Expressive Arts Therapies: We provide expressive art therapies to connect the child’s conscious and unconscious by using play, art and sand tray therapy. For children experiencing symptoms of trauma, and with histories of abuse and neglect, this intervention is useful in developing the therapeutic relationship because it is client-directed with an emphasis on allowing their emotions to surface naturally. Educational support program: SOS BC initiated the Educational support program service at the Village in 2010 with great success. Educational support program is facilitated by teachers who help with learning, social skills, and life advice. Camps and Recreation: This program ensures our children are developing social skills, broadening their horizons, developing a strong sense of belonging and allows them to understand their own life experience as they grow to be part of a bigger community. Cultural: From elder storytelling sessions, dancing, drumming, and other activities, SOS seeks to ensure pride and engagement in the cultural heritage for every child. Caregivers are also provided with opportunities to discuss areas of development to help increase their knowledge and understanding of dealing with aboriginal children in care. Youth Services • Transition to Adulthood Program: The Transition to Adulthood Program provides vulnerable youth with 1:1 support that assists them to develop life skills, independence, find employment or training, and secure housing with the help of our experienced youth workers help • Year Intensive Housing Program: The Year Intensive program helps our youth aging out of care to continue living in a supported environment at the Village while they attain the essential skills for independence. • After Care: Our commitment to permanency; in 2016 we began a program that ensured that all youth and children who once were connected to the village continue to feel connected even after they age out and years after.