SOS Children’s Villages were established in 1949 as local high-quality care and education homes, to protect orphaned children from local war and unrest. Now, the role for Villages is to inspire and support national capacity building in communities. The new SOSCV 2030 strategy and the program “Quality in Alternative Care”  emphasizes children’s right to grow up in their culture of origin. By 2030, most Village children will live with their SOS Parents as Parents in the community, or be re-united with relatives. This session is for planning the transition to live as a local SOS community Parent in a small group home. (for reuniting children with their families, please see session 21).

We know from pilot studies of practices that child and youth development improves dramatically after moving out. Also, former SOS Parents who are now local community Parents report that they thrive much better than before. The report shows that successful re-integration requires a slow and well-planned process for Parents and children. This major change in lifestyle requires planning in group discussions and many dialogues with children before you can enjoy the benefits of living in the community.