Niels Peter Rygaard, Clinical Psych. auth. by DP, Denmark attachment-disorder

1. PREVENTING DEPRIVATION AND ATTACHMENT DISORDER INORPHANS/ CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTS:THE GLOBAL ORPHANAGE and FAIR START PROGRAMS Niels Peter Rygaard, Clinical Psych. auth. by DP, Denmark www.attachment-disorder.net www.globalorphanage.net www.fairstart.net

2. PROJECT BACKGROUND • Since 1981, I worked as a psychologist with deprived and maltreated children and their families. • In a state treatment home, with adopted children, and as a consultant for treatment organizations (Government adoption employees, special needs schools and institutions, foster families, youth prisons) • Visits to orphanages globally 2005 - 2009.

3. CONCLUSIONS • A: The most important period for intervention is from the start of pregnancy to age 3. • B: Early caretaking can be improved at no extra cost by relevant organization/ understanding of child needs. • C: Why not make a free education/ development program?

4. POVERTY IS NOT THE ISSUE • To live in - and belong to - a social group is more important for child development than anything else - economic status, ethnicity, etc. • To have continuous caregivers is important. • Look what they did in Arequipa! Only 5 caregivers, 36 orphan girls in the midst of poverty and slum:

6. PROJECT START 2006 • I STARTED A PROJECT GROUP WITH: • The School for Social and Health Education, the media department, Aarhus, Denmark. • The Danish Psychologist Association, DPA • Supported by the State Adoption Council. • The group drives two projects:

7. The Fair Start Program • 2 year program supported by European Union Leonardo Division, 200.000 Euro. • Goal: To develop and test programs for quality caretaking in European orphanages and foster families. For children < 3 years. • Project partners are co-developers of quality practice – based on research results.

8. LIFELONG LEARNING – AN INTENTION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION • Learning starts at birth! • Orphan children are often excluded from lifelong learning and productive citizenship – because the number of stress factors in early life has hindered normal emotional and social development. • They are socially excluded from their families, and often from society in general.

9. PROJECT PARTNERS • The Danish project group • Romania • Turkey • Spain • Italy • Crete • Austria • Switzerland

10. TARGET GROUP • 43.000 European children under age three live in public custody and not in their family. The number is increasing. These are only those registered officially – there are many, many more. Fair Start addresses their professional caretakers.

11. 7 PROJECT PHASES • Phase I 08 – March 09: • Website www.fairstart.net , research summary, partner meeting, partner´s establish network of local institutions who want to practice program. Setting up preliminary quality indicators. (If you have studies of caretaking research and intervention, please mail them to me: npr@erhvervspsykologerne.dk .With a short English summary if possible. Thank you!)

12. PHASE 2 – 9 MONTHS • Involving institutional leaders in the program. • Model for self-assessment in local institutions: caretaking practices and organizational state. • Developing local models for training and development. Project group is coaching local initiatives.

13. PHASE 3 – 9 MONTHS • Testing first version of products in partner countries. • Producing further digital material –examples from institutions using the program, and quality video demonstrations from project group. • Discussions of preliminary results and adjustments.

14. PHASE 4 - 15 MONTHS • Training of role models (instructors) in Denmark. • Local institutions evaluate their work with the program. • Adjustment of materials and quality indicators. • Establishing transnational community of professional caretaker organizations.

15. PHASE 5 – 15 MONTHS • Testing 2nd version of materials. • Final set of recommendations for the Fair Start Model. • Final set of evidence based Quality Indicators.

16. PHASE 6 – 22 MONTHS • Preliminary recommendations: EU standards for professional caretaking development and education. Fair Start conference, 14. – 15. Sept. 2010. 3 conference groups: Scientists, decision makers, practitioners.

17. PHASE 7 – 22 MONTHS • Final recommendations for quality standards, indicators and educational methods. • Final version of local organizational development program. • Final version of internet training materials.

18. METHODS • Basic principles of quality caretaking based on research surveys. • 3 manuals for one to two year – development in institution/ foster family organization. • Manual for: The Leader, The Secure Base Instructor, the Staff Training Program.

19. The Basic Caretaking Principles • To maintain that local partners in the program (orphanages, foster families, etc.) are active co-developers of good practice. • To make use of local traditional caretaking traditions in practice development. • To increase early brain activity and development by daily stimulation. • To develop coherent caretaking in order to promote secure attachment in children. • To develop family like groups for the children in order to promote normal attachment and social skills. • To develop peer relations in family groups for attachment and social development. • To provide basic social, emotional and cognitive learning opportunities for children. • To let the children participate in society life and create communication between the institution/ foster family and the local environment.

20. The Global Orphanage Project • 10 – year project based on voluntary work, transferred from Fair Start. • For 3rd World Orphanages, in local languages (Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, etc.), internet based. • Non-profit, low cost improvements in • caretaking practices and organization. • www.globalorhanage.net , “video”

21. INFO • Fair Start 2 year European program: www.fairstart.net • Global Orphanage Program: www.globalorphanage.net • Book: “Severe Attachment Disorder”: • www.attachment-disorder.net Click flag – links to local Amazon pages