Connemara Spirit
Connemara Spirit is a specialized program for children and youth who live independently from their parents and have exhausted all other options of group care. Connemara Spirit provides a home environment for our children and youth. All of our children and youth here at The Family Centre are provided with a positive and caring live in Therapeutic Mentor as well as a complimentary team for extra support. Connemara Spirit is geared to assist our children and youth in direction, security and belonging. Our main focus is to reunite or maintain close relationships with existing family members, blood relatives or not. We believe that maintaining a close relationship with biological family and extended family is extremely important in a person’s development.
The Circle of Courage model (Brendtro, Brokenleg & Van Bockern) is incorporated into the homes and program content. In this developmental framework, the focus is on the collective needs of all children and youth, belonging, mastery, independence and generosity. Each child’s program is individualized to address these needs. Within this framework the resiliency and the development of adaptive functioning of each youth is also significant in facilitating a healthy transition. The child/youth develops and matures into a permanent placement through reintegration to family, foster/adoptive care or SIL.
The premise of the TFC Connemara Spirit program is twofold:
- Attachment is as basic a life requirement as food and water
- Trust is the developmental cornerstone to healthy growth and development. If we believe that the children/youth we are working with have not had the opportunity to form healthy attachments and therefore are struggling in emotional and behavioural ways, it stands to reason that we would place much emphasis and energy on the relationship we form with these children and youth.
All of our mentors provide our children and youth with:
- A safe, supportive and encouraging environment;
- Support, encouragement, and positive role modeling;
- Our children and youth gain confidence and the needed skills to eventually be self sufficient and successfully live on their own.
Our methods include:
- Identifying and building upon the strengths and resiliencies of the individual;
- Restructuring the way that we teach by making learnings relevant and meaningful;
- Bedrooms are put together by the child who has some say in the bedding and wall coverings to encourage ownership and a sense of belonging;
- Transitional items such pictures, books, perhaps a special stuffed animal are sought out from the previous placement and/or family of origin, in an effort to help the child form a past, a sense of history and culture;
- A low staff ratio (2-3) with an emphasis on forming attachments, trusting relationships.
- A wrap around program for each child/youth in an effort to provide a balance of support/guidance while encouraging as much independence as safely possible;
Outcomes of Connemara Spirit:
- Develop and build upon the child’s sense of individual and belonging;
- Connect the youth to an extended family system and to the broader community;
- Expand community support networks that will continue to nurture, parent, and accept youth;
- Transition children to successfully living on their own or in a placement that will support them after emancipation;
- Focus on supporting each youth to develop sense of belonging, mastery, independence and generosity;
- Support each youth to understand and accept the traditional concepts of the family systems, the community, the earth, society, the world and the universe;
- Encourage each youth to develop greater health and well being, build on family relationships, participate in social groupings, understand culture, values and beliefs, they will develop education and expand their knowledge and each youth will process their spirituality as it becomes meaningful to them.
Referrals are accepted from Child and Family Services and Family Supports for Children with Disabilities.
For more information please contact:
SCP Program Coordinator
| Phone: |
(780) 917-8226 |
| Fax: |
(780) 426-1563 |
| Email: |
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