Information is a power. The power to make effective decisions, take the right steps or intervene quickly in crisis situations. For these reasons, Terre des Hommes Foundation in Ukraine has been disseminating useful resources for stakeholders for two months as part of an information campaign for parents, guardians and professionals about the needs of children whose parents work abroad. Within the framework of the CASTLE project, we published: brochures with answers for parents and professionals, a brochure for members of transnational families, useful tips and tricks for children and youth left at home, summarized research results, and an informational video for parents who are planning or already working abroad.
How to support children after their parents go abroad to work? A summary of the research
Parents should inform their children of their intention to migrate. It is beneficial for young children to visit the country where their parents are temporarily staying, and in the absence of parents, children should develop self-confidence and be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities.
The information contained in the brochure will also be useful for civil servants, employees of government agencies and non-governmental organizations, as well as other professionals working with transnational families. Thus, the project teams from Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania set out to explore the impact on children's rights, their attitudes toward parental departure, and ways to support adult migrants to minimize the emotional impact on families.
You can find a summary of the research results here https://tdh-ukraine.org/en/how-support-children-after-their-parents-go-abroad-work-summary-research
Information brochures for parents and professionals
The decision to move abroad is a kind of challenge, sometimes a risky one, involving costs and gains, ignorance and change. In most cases, parents do not have the opportunity to take their children abroad with them right away. Or they do not even consider this option because they intend to return home. Thus, children remain in the care of grandparents, close relatives or other persons. In the brochure "Parents went abroad and children stayed at home? Answers for professionals” we address specialists in the field of child protection, which provides recommendations on actions aimed at ensuring the protection and safety of children whose parents intend to or have already gone abroad to work. In this brochure, we address specialists in the field of child protection, which provides recommendations on actions aimed at ensuring the protection and safety of children whose parents intend to or have already left for work abroad.
The brochure "Parents went abroad and children stayed at home? Answers for parents" is intended primarily for parents who are planning to go abroad to work and those who have already left. At the same time, the brochure is a kind of pocket guide that every parent of a transnational family needs. The brochure contains the questions most often asked by parents. As a rule, they are interested in how to establish a connection with their children and maintain relationships with them before and after their departure. This brochure provides concise, practical answers that will help parents maintain and develop optimal relationships “without borders” with their children. We are convinced that the distance that temporarily separates family members should not become an insurmountable obstacle to successful communication with children.
Brochure for children
There are a number of reasons why parents move abroad. Of course, the reasons vary. The main ones are job loss, the security situation in Ukraine, children's education abroad, etc. At the same time, after their parents leave, children face difficulties that they sometimes cannot overcome on their own. There are no universal recommendations, because we are all different and communication in such circumstances can be different. However, in the brochure “Useful information and recommendations for children and youth who stayed at home” we have prepared recommendations and advice that will be useful for children and youth whose parents have moved abroad. It contains information that will explain the concept of “labor migration” and the difficulties that children and youth may face when their parents go abroad, as well as recommendations on how to maintain relationships with their parents and who to turn to for support and assistance.
Video about the CASTLE project
For two years, in the project “CASTLE-Children Left Behind: Supporting Moldovan and Ukrainian Transnational Families in the EU”, we have been working with government officials to provide them with recommendations on policies to protect children whose parents have moved abroad. We also work with children to hear their voices and opinions, and with parents to educate them and improve their understanding of how to communicate with their children.
Watch the video below to learn more about the project and its impact.
Informational video for parents
- how to talk to your children to prepare them for these changes;
- how to make sure your children stay safe and in the care of people you trust;
- how to maintain warm and harmonious relationships even at a distance.
The ultimate goal is to provide parents with valuable resources to manage the period of geographical separation in their families as effectively as possible and ensure the harmonious development of their children. Watch the video below.
