Adoptive and foster families self-help groups as a tool for strengthening and empowering families

Įtėvių ir globėjų savigalbos grupės yra savanoriškai susibūrusių asmenų dariniai. Straipsnyje aptariama, kaip savigalbos grupės gali tapti svarbiais socialiniais ištekliais vaiko globos deinstitucionalizacijos procese – šeimas stiprinančiais ir įgalinančiais instrumentais, daugeliu atvejų užtikrinančiais ir sklandesnį vaiko globos šeimoje ir įvaikinimo procesą. Įtėvių ir globėjų savigalba kuria ir naują socialinės kultūros, paremtos solidarumu ir dosnumu, pasitikėjimu, paradigmą. Reikšminiai žodžiai: savigalbos grupės, įvaikinimas, vaiko globa, įgalinimas, socialinis kapitalas.The article analyses the experience of foster families’ self-help groups in Lithuania in the context of the childcare system reform currently taking place in the country. The analysis of research material has revealed several advantages and benefits of this method which displayed on “individual, family” and “social environment” levels. The research has shown how self-help groups may become, through shared needs and communality, a place of real aid for families in taking care of children and promote personal growth of those families, positive changes in relations with family members and social environment. The main category from interview analysis was defined as follows: “self-help groups as a tool for strengthening and empowering foster and adoptive families”. The social value of these families’ self-help groups lies in that they perform the role of support and resources in terms of child care, i.e., they strengthen foster and adoptive families, ensure the smoother child care process, serve as a preventive measure against giving back a child, which is rather frequent in Lithuania in case of failure in fostering and adoption especially when the children reach their teens. When groups pursue relationship-building and implementation of reciprocity and solidarity of group members, they can become a relevant and efficient aid in the context of Lithuanian social service where orientation to result is a dominant trend instead of seeking qualitative changes that are less evident. Finally, this adds up to the strengthening of family welfare in general and can promote social changes. Keywords: self-help groups, fostering, adoption, empowerment, social capital