On Thursday, October 24, 2024, the familea Center for Foster Children invited around 80 participants to an evening aimed at promoting exchange and understanding in the foster care system. The event focused on the tension between foster families, families of origin and the individual needs of the children.
Prof. Dr. Klaus Wolf, an expert in foster care in German-speaking countries in Europe, spoke about the challenge of not leaving foster children "caught between two stools". He emphasized the importance of a balanced setting that includes both the family of origin and the foster family, and called on all professionals to build bridges instead of sprinkling additional pepper into often already very complex constructs of families of origin and foster families. His approaches offered valuable food for thought and led to a lively panel discussion with professionals, foster parents and former foster children.
Tatjana Lübke, co-director of the familea Center for Foster Children, emphasized the importance of such a dialogue and praised the valuable opportunity for foster parents and professionals to exchange experiences and solutions.
familea would like to thank Prof. Dr. Klaus Wolf and all participants who contributed to a constructive and insightful evening. Special thanks also go to the participants in the panel discussion: Nicole Meyer, Peter Scharnweber, Carmen Cueni, Christine Menz, Nicole Mathys, Nadia Sommerhalder, Debora Dürring, Michele Huerlimann, Rain Angela and Amelie Haselmann.
Such events highlight the potential of collaborative dialog in the interests of foster children and reinforce familea's commitment to the welfare of these children.
