RESHAPING THE FUTURES OF AT-RISK
CHILDREN WORLDWIDE
With immense odds stacked against them, children from war-ravaged regions around the world facing abuse and poverty rely on the care of foster families and child welfare professionals. But when those caregivers harbor similar trauma, they need vital support and guidance to care for themselves and these fragile children.
OGI Child Welfare (OGICW) provides vital education and training to equip these caregivers to protect children against the threats of human traffickers who so easily capitalize on the young and the vulnerable.
FIGHTING THE EFFECTS
OF POVERTY AND TRAUMA
In today’s high-demand global market for human slavery, children affected by abuse and poverty are by far the most vulnerable. OGICW trains child welfare professionals and foster families who are uninformed, overwhelmed and underfunded in order to provide stability and safety.
In countries like Moldova, where war has created extreme poverty and instability, we provide foster families with vital support and training to care for and protect adopted children and their families. Family preservation is a key factor in safeguarding children and preventing them from falling prey to traffickers.
STEP BY STEP:
PROVIDING PROACTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE CHILD WELFARE SOLUTIONS
LISTEN
In creating sustainable paths to societal change, we focus on harm reduction to respectfully integrate effective care into each culture we serve. This begins with listening and learning. We find out what child welfare professionals need, then determine how to fill those gaps.
UNIFY
We empower and invest in local NGOs, governments and foster families; leveraging these resources to support families by strengthening foster parent training and minimalizing failed foster placements.
TRAIN
Partnering with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University, we train social workers, therapists, governmental workers, healthcare professionals and foster parents in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) to address the specific, complex needs and fear-based behaviors of vulnerable children.
INVEST
OGICW invests in training opportunities for local therapists in Eye MovementDesensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) certification. This vital therapy focuses on treating a range of behaviors and self-esteem issues linked to past traumatic events and current living conditions.
IMPACT IN MOLDOVA
- Implemented the first use of TBRI® and EMDR
- EMDR training practiced in the Romanian language
- Trained 203 child welfare professionals
- Educated 25 government child protection staff
- Trained 82 state registered foster/adopted caregivers
- Delivered research-informed clinical training to 337 Child Welfare professionals at Children’s Emergency Relief International’s (CERI) 2019 conference in Moldova
IN THE WORKS
- The Moldovan Government has recognized the impact of OGICW, and has endorsed their training
GOVERN
- All OGICW programs are evaluated to ensure maximum success in the implementation and sustainability of our trainings
- We provide post-training support and implementation strategies to all professionals and foster parents
SUPPORT OGI CHILD WELFARE
OUR LEADERSHIP
LEONIE WEBSTER
DIRECTOR OF CHILD WELFARE
Leonie has 25 years of child welfare experience working with multiple child welfare agencies in the United States, Latin America and Europe. A TBRI® Certified Practitioner, she is an international child welfare advisor specializing in child/parent attachment, residential care change management and policy reform.
Leonie is also a Certified Nurse Midwife Practitioner (UK), international project manager and public speaker.
OGICW’s first graduating class of TBRI Caregivers Training, 2019 (all graduates are government-registered foster parents in Moldova).
OUR PARTNERS
Karen Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University (TBRI®) USA
Alliance of Christians for a Moldova without Orphans (ACMO)
World Without Orphans – USA and UK
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