The PRIDE program was introduced in Ukraine as a result of implementing the joint project titled, Reform of Child Care System through Developing a System of Family Foster Care in Ukraine (2003-2007). It was implemented by OKS (Netherlands) and Child Well-Being Fund Ukraine and supported by MATRA Programme, Ministry of International Affairs of Netherland.
As a result, PRIDE became one of only two existing state programs for training prospective foster parents. The Ministry of Social Policy of the Ukraine is in charge of PRIDE’s implementation. When PRIDE was introduced, there was a state program to train foster parents, developed by the State Institute of Family and Youth Development. As PRIDE obtained the status of the state program, most specialists began to prefer to use PRIDE to prepare prospective foster parents.
In Ukraine, all parts of PRIDE (the entire 14-step PRIDE Model of Practice) are used. Accepting PRIDE on the national level has influenced the development of family forms of care for children. This includes orphans and children deprived of parental care, in particular family foster care.
During 2003-2007, over 50 trainers were educated with PRIDE. As the program has become national, the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine constantly trains national trainers who train specialists in the regions to work directly with foster parents. Thus, PRIDE is used in all regions of Ukraine. As of April 2011, there were 3,244 foster families in Ukraine. Each family has participated in the mandatory PRIDE. Since 2010, adoptive parents are also supposed to participate. As an organization, we continue to use elements of PRIDE within other projects we run now.
Tatiana Basyuk, Executive Director Child Well-Being Fund Ukraine, staff@ccf.kiev.ua