Based
on the history of the Home Abandonment Prevention Program, as stated
in chapter II, and the conclusions of
research made along with the conviction that it was feasible to prevent
the home abandonment, in 1985 the YMCA of Bogotá designed a
program focused on the prevention of children abuse and families support
to have access to basic services and integral formation processes.
In
1987 a second investigation and the first impact evaluation of the
program were done. This evaluation showed that families that had
participated in the guiding processes didn't have any home abandonment
cases, and they had changed their perceptions regarding punishment
measures minimizing the conditions that led children to leave home
.
The
program gradually embodied components jorned to several alternatives
which included complementary programs within the communities and
coordination with other organizations to expand the coverage and
be more effective.
Interested
in continuing the investigations, the YMCA made an agreement with
the Faculty of Psychology of Santo Tomás University in 1992.
This agreement was made to iniciate a joint investigation into the
families ussues as detined by the YMCA-USTA model. This is compiled
and written under the name of "MODEL OF PREVENTIVE WORK WITH
UNDERPRIVILED FAMILIES" published by Santo Tomas University
in 1992. This model has been improving and adjusting to the changes
that has been made in the families and their environment, as well
as the deep interest of the YMCA to offer better alternatives to
the underprivileged families and communities, with the aim to minimize
the risks related to school drop outs, formation of gangs, drug
addiction, prostitution amongst other problems.
The
new focus facilitates the approaching from a global vision and aims
to influence all the aspects that affect the life quality of the
families striving to have an impact not only in economical aspects,
but also in environment and surrounding aspects that benefit families'
health and well being, especially that of the children.
In
the new focus, there are also instruments and indicators that facilitate
the identifying of the most critical factors, the follow up and
measuring of families´ advancements and regressions.
From
this new perspective it has been necessary to articulate the family
process more efficiently with the community processes and designing
more group activities to deal with issues and establishing time frameworks
for the accompanying of the processes being made with the families
1.
The Model
a.
Systemic Vision
A system
is understood as a whole integrated by parts that depend one and
each other. In the systemic approach, the family is considered as
a whole different from the sum of its members.
The
family is a system composed by a net of relationships each with
their own features focused on satisfying the psycho affective necessities
of its members. As in any system, it has its limits whose function
is to montain and protect its members montain keeping a stable system.
The
family as a system fits in the concept of "circle causality"
what happens to a person in the family affects the other family
members.
b.
Strategic approaching
The
strategies to approach the family problems include actions that
must meet the following requirements:
To know and comprehend the conditions of a context;
To appeal to several solution alternatives and include all those
involved in the problem resolution;
To identify the problem with the protagonists and visualize solutions
that can be shared by all involved;
To start from the resources and strengths toward possible solutions.
Use of their abilities and/or potentials;
Start from the details avoiding generalizations;
To act within the limitations adapting goals that can be reached
and take into account the circumstances;
To utilize to all the resources available within the different
contexts;
To organize a sequence of actions that are hypothetically relevant
for the solution of each problem and anticipate the obstacles
and effects either negative or positive;
Focus on the future; and
To anticipate the inconvencive of adjusting the plan on the go
The
investigation - intervention from which the model YMCA - USTA was
structured, was carried out in Bogotá with 57 families who
had children from and on the streets.
Most
of the members of the families attended the sessions in their homes
which allowed us to observe their relationship in their natural
environment with both their family and neighbours. There were also
interferences due to limited space.
The
families studied were part of a category named "families in
crises" as they were facing to great structural instability
due to circumstances such as of broken marriages, runaway children,
and the lack of resources to satisfy basic needs.
c.
Family Composing
88%
of the families were composed by more than five members, with an
average ranging from 7-8. 59% of the families reported the existence
of both parents.
It
was observed that the father is physical presence was less frequent
inside the family life. Therefore his image was emotionally of minor
importance but with a great symbolic meaning, specially for the
mothers who keep the hope of being supported by a man eventhough
it is not true in reality.
The study began from the conception of the family as the primary
context of human development, and as a natural system in which
all its members are interdependent at variable of ranges depending
on the development stage every person in the family and the family
as a group.
To integrate all variables involved in the description of the
phenomenon of extreme poverty and its consequences on children
behavior. The model T-Doble ABCX of Family adjustment and adaptation
(see graphic) was taken as the reference
framework and which analyzes: the kind of family, the type and
accumulation of stress sources that the family is exposed to in
a particular moment; and its vulnerability to the crises; their
way of solving problems; the family's resources; the social support
source; the family's self evaluation of its current situation
and its general value framework.
In
each case, the conjugation of these elements will lead to an adjustment
or to a crisis depending on how the family reacts. Bearing in mind
that families fullfilling the following characteristics can demostrate
better results:
a high degree of emotional ties; a high
degree of flexibility to satisfy their needs and solve problems;
fewer numbers of excessive and ambiguous agitations; a proper ability
to define their difficulties and control solutions; a wide net of
social support; enough resources to meet basic needs; stable and
complete structure; an optimistic and constructive view of life
that gives space to the spiritual dimension of the man without setting
apart the responsibility he has as an individual.
The
categories not only permit to organize the description and evaluation
of the family functioning, but also to plan carefully the programs
and ways of intervention.
To
evaluate the sort of prevalent family in the group being studied,
the following variables were taken into account-family composition,
kind of functioning, age and family life cycle of the members.
Regarding
the family´s composition the following characteristics were
found:
a.
Those families lacking the father's physical or emotional presence
prevail. This situation determines the absence of the conjugal and
parental subsystem associated to a overloading of affective demands
on the mother.
b.
The families have a higher number of extended family members than
those of other social groups. In a 30% percent of these families,
prevailing the mother's grandchildren are present which confirms
the continuity of early maternity.
Regarding
the life cycle and age of the members, it was observed that most
of the families pass through the stages of school age children age
and adolescents. However, a fifth of them are in a stage ready to
leave their homes or have siblings over 19 years of age while schoolers.
A wide rank of ages prevail among the children which prevent the
family to overcome one stage of development to go to the next one.
This factor contributes to increase the tensions in a specific moment.
Regarding
the type of interaction, there is a notorious gap in what the family
members know and believe should be harmonic functioning and what
really happens. Although they know the importance of the family
unit and seem to feel satisfied for belonging to their families,
signs of affection are scarce and the relation among them are clouded
easily when problems and different points of view of daily life
aspects arise.
The
father figure appears to be distant and cold with authoritarian
and arbitrary leadership. The mother's image is better perceived,
however the control over her children behavior is not always enough,
which further complicates the relationship and the few successes
in solving problems.
The above description helps classify these families as fragile
and vulnerable to crisis characterized by their negative and harmful
reaction before stressing situations. They neither have a clear
sense of life nor feel appreciated. They don't feel able to control
what happens to them and blame it on accidents or bad luck and
blame themselves for their mistakes. They do this most of the
times and despite their desire to learn and change they do not
get to realize their plans real which increases their feelings
of frustration even more.
Vulnerability is also associated to an accumulation of tensions
that affect the family at any moment. These families have to bear
the lack of economical resources for a basic living, the uncertainty
of getting through their bad situations, the existence of stressing
factors related to the off-balance confrontations entrance and
departure of the household members (fathers and sons mainly),
the confronting with the police more frequently than in other
social status, and their underprivileged condition.
The real family resources in relation to economical, academic,
housing, health and entertainment possibilities lack so, they
count on God and sometimes on themselves to get ahead even though
they do not know exactly how. They barely believe in social support
and not often resort to the solidarity support of others in similar
conditions which explains the failing on a successful working
groups.
Although they recognize that problems are better solved when thinking,
their explosive reaction style leads them to blame and hurt each
other instead of joining forces to fight those difficulties. On
the other hand, when the children are infants, the mother lacks
of a real support needed to find solutions. So they trust in God
and themselves.
These mothers keep the faith of having a responsible partner able
to help them face the requirements of survival without necessarly
being a sexual parther. This gives the idea these two aspects
are lived a instinctively without assuming them.
They believe in work as an alternative to overcome their situation
but they complain about the few possibilities they are offered.
This is a situation that gets worse due to their poor professional
preparation.
All this suggests that the actions the YMCA carries out on this
field must focus taking into account that:
a.
They will be more efficient as they embrace a higher level of family
functioning.
b.
To work only in one level of family disfuntion like is ineffective
and with a waste of resources that would be better used in other
contexts.
c.
The conselling process with specific families and groups may be
implemented more strategically if concepts, criteria and tools developed
within this investigation are applied in a way that the work evolves
and progresses paying close attention to the suebs indicators.
d.
Human development psychoeducative processes and community activities
are adequate but not enough if the problem of basic resources scarcity
is not assisted.
e.
It has been productive to work with women, children and youth but
endeavors with the fathers of children in and from the streets must
be developed, otherwise there is risk of becoming allied with the
"victims" losing eyesight that this is still a family
problem.
f.
It is a priority that in the work with children and youngsters a
conscious of responsibility related to sexuality and parenthood
as well as values of loyalty toward the original family. Only if
the family has a context of cooperation. Abandonment risks decrease
and so does the necessity of the State or another agencies to offer
protection and institutionalization assistance.
g.
It's necessary to keep on working on the inter-agency integration
and making stronge government bodies. Is is necessary to continue
pressuring the government to look for alternatives to eradicate
poverty by developing dignitied work options for those in need.
This is an area that the YMCA will continue to work towards but
is unable to make any changes independent of the government.
h.
As during this analysis the method used in the investigation, has
shown its validity, it can continue being developed as a work model
inside the YMCA. This way, it guarantees the work systematization
and its evolution can be evaluated more clearly and the best ways
of couselling can be praised. This is a process that permits the
YMCA to be a pioneer in the evolution in this areawhich in the storn
term has become a significant contribution not only at a social
level, but also to disciplines in charge of this area and the State
institutions that must respond for solutions.
i.
To implement this model successfully, it is necessary to take into
account certain conditions that are outlined as follows:
The investigators have to have a certain knowledge, as well as
commit with a conceptual and methodological framework, which must
be consistant with those of the institution.
A knowledge and respect toward the families context, as the community
worker las on integral part in the chage process. .
Presentation of techniques that promote reflection and self questioning
rather than promote teaching concepts son that a commoon vision
is developed, understood and adopted by the family.
d.
Theory framework
This
model was designed based on the proposal of several authors such
as: Salvador Minuchin, Olson D.H, Mc Cubbin and Patterson.
There
are 4 assumptions of family life which serve as basic:
The families face difficulties and changes as a natural/common
fact predictable within their life's cycle.
They develop strengths and basic abilities to promote the family
members development and the family itself as a unit. Similarly
to protect it from major problems in moments of change and evolution.
The families develop strengths and specific abilities to protect
themselves from unexpected stressing factors as well as to better
adoptafter the crisis.
The
families are benefited and at the same time contribute to the
relationship and resources within the community, especially during
stressing situations and crisis.
This
approach begins with two stages during the conflict brought about
by change and vitalevents.
One
of the stages is "adjustment" and it is associated to
the situation that requires minor changes. The other one is "adaptation"
and it is related to the circumstances that demand a genuine re-organization
of the family.
The
adjustment is considered as an effective response to a short-term
stitution but there are circumstances in which those strategies
are not enough to address the problem, such as those where:
a)
The nature of the "stressor" or transition implies a change
in the family structure (for example: paternity, divorce)
b)
The requests exhaust the existing resources (for example: financial
resources)
c)
The number and the persistence of non-resolved problems overwhelm
the family's resources (for example: constant conflicts with the
previous spouse)
d)
The family's resources are inappropriate or insufficient to meet
the families needs (for example: poor, and single mother with a
seriously ill child)
The
adaptation would be the outcome of the effort to achieve a level
of balance through reciprocal relationships. At the same time, it
implies that the crisis may arise from imbalance when the mutual
demands are not satisfied in the interdependent systems.
Based
on the adjustment models, the following work sessions were designed:
Regarding adaptation and family crisis patterns:
First
Session
History of the family. Second Session
Family functioning Third Session
Emotional reactions: affecting and aggressiveness. Fourth Session
Family's beliefs and future.
For
the delivery at the sessions it was necessary to design leisure activities
that also thought promoted and reflection effective and interesting.
Thus, it was possible to systematize the methodology, to confirm the
hypothesis and to obtain the information that validated the model.
The
YMCA then designed two additional sessions:
Fifth
Session
Focussed on the evaluation the process and for thie develops the
concept of structuring change. Sixth Session
Ti continue to develop an actren plan for change including details
and priorities.
Once
the processes a new evaluation of the family´s situation must
be is complete done taking into account the achievements up to the
moment.
A monitoring
plan is structured. Including home visits are periodical evaluations
including outcome measurement.
2.
Group Processes with "Expeller" families
Group
processes that involve the families or their members are promoted
at the same time of evaluation processes and individual counselling.
In the geographical sectors where a significant number of families
that share the same problems and needs, are concentrated, groups
orientation are organized. Topics of general interest are raised
through the presentation of practical workshops,discussions, reflections,
problem analysis of common situations and group works of exploration,
integration and projection which are centered around common interests.
In
general terms, the process is developed through the following stages:
Forming:
families who live in the same geographical zone, neighborhood
and/or locality, are contacted. Topics are identified and agreements
are reached about the way in which the group will work.
Training:
Elements focused on setting out new ways of confronting issues,
conflict resolution, management of reality and dealing with serious
or daily problems. Topics of common interest related to problems
and needs of the families are taken into account. For example.
*Emotional links
*Organization and control
*Beliefs and values
*Problems resolution
*Housing
*Health and hygiene
*Education and entertainment
*Labour and financial matters
*Environment
*Individual and legal problems, sexual abuse, mistreatment
*Education and recreation
Family meeting are also carried out within a social context. Quarterly
workshops or integration activities are executed with families
who have been contacted and with which an individual or group
process is involved. It is necessary that these meetings as well
as the local meetings, enrich and strengthen the family experiences,
their dynamics and functioning as well as to enlarge their social
action and their possibility interaction with other families.
3.
Inter-family Network
It
is necessary to identify the natural social networks for the development
of this process. In other words, the inter-relational field of each
family group in terms of quantity, kind and quality of possible
relations in a specified space and time and determined by guidelines
of specific interaction.
Through
these networks it is possible to clarify key elements, such cooperation,
autonomy and interdependence, team work, community awareness and
the coexistence. The above-mentioned constitutes the basic of the
social support that strengthening will allow to reach highersupport
networklevels of solidarity, unit and promotion, facilitating in
the families options for the solution of problems, satisfaction
of necessities and self-sustainability.
There are two possibilities of development family networks, we will
describe each one of them briefly:
With those families whose geographical location doesn't facilitate
the involvement in support groups, it is necessary to investigate
family bonds with the purpose of locating a person or group of
people who serve as support to the family in crisis with the appropriate
assistance, so that the family implements a plan of action focused
to overcome the difficult situation being faced. The support group
has or is facing a similar situacion.
Another network possibility, which is the most common, starts
from the geographical location of the families. Those families
that facilitate the promotion and consolidation of their network
due to proximity.
The
following actions are carried out by the support groups:
Motivation
and sensitization to cooperation , solidarity and team work for
the solution of common problems.
Information sessions, integration and socialization of experiences.
Reflection
about common problems.
Potential
of alternatives or solution and proposals of action.
Agreeing
and implementation of proposals of actions.
