PRIDE came to Finland in 1994, with the first training of trainers starting in 1995. The organization in charge of implementing PRIDE is Pesäpuury - The Centre of Expertise in Child Welfare.
Finland implements preservice training and mutual assessment. We have set out the 14-step PRIDE Model of Practice as a book and, for every step, we have asked experts in family foster care to tell their experiences. Our experts include PRIDE trainers, foster parents who have participated in PRIDE preservice training, a child of a foster family, and a biological parent. We have also included in this book opinions about good foster care from children and young people living in foster care and from young adults, who have been in foster care.
We have developed two three-day trainings for child welfare social workers, based on the 14 step Model of Practice on how to develop foster care. We do not use the in-service training program at this time. We have developed “extra trainings” for different kinds of foster families. The idea is that all prospective foster parents go first to PRIDE preservice training. After that they can get “in-service training” for kinship care, short term fostering, multicultural topics, fostering young people, etc.
Currently we have trained 377 trainers, 490 groups, with 6,626 participants in total. As a result of bringing the PRIDE Model of Practice to our country, there have been a number of changes at the national level. For example, PRIDE has contributed to a new Child Welfare Act which was passed in 2012. This law requires preservice training and assessment, like PRIDE, although PRIDE is not mentioned in the law.
PRIDE has also contributed strongly to:
- Children in focus in child protection. Pesäpuu has developed working methods and concrete tools and guide books.
- Children’s and youths´ voices being heard.
- Developing peer groups for children (children in foster care and foster families birth children).
The main outcome of bringing PRIDE to our country is that preservice training is obligatory now and foster families have the right to get support. PRIDE has had a big impact on the quality of foster care work – it is much more child-centered and children can participate much more in the work and they are heard more. Also, the role of foster carers has changed considerably. They are not clients but equal partners in foster care.
PRIDE has had an influence on expertise. Those who have experience, foster parents and the children in their care are really appreciated in child welfare. Foster parents are more aware of the importance and the role of biological parents and they are willing to keep in contact with them.
Our main problem is that all social workers do not know enough about PRIDE, so foster parents may be disappointed when there is a lack of support and teamwork. Overall, however, the PRIDE Model of Practice has shown staff how to improve services and foster care systematically.
Paula Männikkö, Social Worker Development Manager, Senior PRIDE-Trainer, paula.mannikkko@pesapuu.fi
Raili Bäck-Kiianmaa, Social Worker, Director Pesäpuury, raili.back@pesapuu.fi