At the beginning of implementing new care practice in the new environment, our staff has undergone a series of adjustment and reflection. In the interactions between staff, as well as staff and the children, conversation, discussion, and conflicts did take place, but it was a valuable lesson for both staff and children to learn how to negotiate, compromise, and voice out personal opinions in a polite and proper manner, and finally reach a conclusion. While keeping working toward becoming a learning organization, we all strive to learn from and share with each other despite occasional chaos, and we work ceaselessly to realize our vision.
We pay special attention to the training and well-being of our staff because we believe that by doing so we can maximize indirect positive impact on the children. We develop a wide range of professional development courses. We adopt humanity-like curriculum, helping our staff find out meaning and value of life and work. In addition to individual help, we also have group workshops that train and improve staff’s practice. Workshops with narrative-therapy approach particularly provide emotional support to our staff. To take care of staff’s physical well-being and health, we also cooperate with yoga instructors and doctors to help relieve stress and to take care of other medical needs.
In addition to children’s daily needs, we strive to help children deal with psychological trauma. For example, we work with therapists to conduct counseling and play therapy sessions for children in need. We hold group therapy for children, helping them learn how to effectively manage emotions and interact with peers. We work with doctors to use traditional herbal care to alleviate children’s allergy, a common symptom that most children have nowadays. We bring in resources in the community, developing children’s talents besides academics. Instead of managing the children, we guide them and emphasize mutual respect and reasonable freedom. We regularly assess individual child’s development and needs, bringing resources in the community and providing holistic care.
Our effort has received wide praise. In the national evaluation of child care institutions conducted by Child Welfare Bureau, Ministry of Interoir Affair in 2009, we were the only child care institution in central Taiwan that received “Excellence.”
We have a well-established plan of accommodation. Currently we accommodate 40 children, and they are separated into right cottages, or “micro-households.” As the demand increases, and as our children are approaching adolescence with various needs, our cottage system is facing even more challenges. To cope with the rising number of children in accommodation, currently we do not have enough space for children as they become adolescents. We are planning on founding another youth institution for accommodated adolescents. We have found an ideal place for future youth institutions, and currently we work closely with architects to complete the blueprint of the buildings. Hopefully we will finish the new youth institution project in 2014.
│ Government-registered symbol：Taichung City Government ,July 9,2008.No： 0960148492 │ │Address：No.303, Dongying Rd., East Dist., Taichung City 40149, Taiwan (R.O.C.) │
│ Tel：04-22133300│ Fax：04-22151177 │
│ Postal transfer ID：22645296│ Account Name：Tsu-Hsin Children’s Home │