Gargždai care center helps children left without parental care to find a family

Being a guardian or becoming a guardian is an extraordinary life event that requires a lot of knowledge, skills and sometimes help from abroad. Specialists working at the Gargžda care center are well aware of this, and they are constantly looking for guardians or adoptive parents for children.
Psychological counseling includes playful and creative elements
Psychologist Rūta Kavaliauskaitė-Sakalauskienė, who has been working at the Care Center for more than a year, is frank: the children consulted are often very confused, scared and have no idea how their lives will turn out.
“The first time they come to me, they are worried, not understanding that they are meeting with me precisely to feel better. Later, of course, they calm down, and our meetings turn into welcome visits,” says Rūta.
A psychologist who constantly communicates with foster children and guardians not only helps to solve emotional and behavioral problems: step by step she helps to adapt to a new stage of life. Currently, Rūta is pursuing the qualification of a psychotherapist and is developing an emotional intelligence training program for both adults and children with psychologist R. Zinkevičiene.
According to the psychologist, people’s perception of psychological counseling for children is sometimes wrong. It is assumed that the consultation will take place on the basis of an interview. However, the younger the child, the more playful and creative elements are included in his consultation. So, after a few generations, the children are already looking forward to the meetings, because it seems to them that they are coming to play.
“Children’s emotional state and behavior usually improve after counseling. Of course, my work is very closely related to other specialists of the Care Center. In order to achieve the best results and help children and guardians, adoptive parents, we work as one cohesive team,” says Rūta.
We aim for every child to grow up in a family
There are a total of 66 foster care centers in Lithuania that help children find guardians or adoptive parents and provide professional assistance. In the Klaipėda district, the Gargžda social service center unit, the Care Center, was established six years ago.
Specialists working in the Gargžda care center are constantly looking for guardians or adoptive parents, provide consultations and organize training for persons intending to become guardians, on-call guardians or adoptive parents, mutual support groups for existing guardians, organize and carry out temporary respite services for guardians. It also constantly maintains contact with existing guardians, adoptive parents and children under their care and provides them with the necessary social assistance and psychological counseling.
Last year, the Gargždai care center provided services to 100 foster and adoptive families, where 154 foster children live. 23 persons are prepared, ready for child care/adoption. 3 people completed specialized training at GIMK. Ten families from Klaipėda district gave the warmth and love of their homes to thirteen children left without parental care, 5 of them are teenagers. Three children are adopted by foster families who raise them. The center also closely cooperated with 3 on-call guardians working in the Klaipėda district, who provided help to twelve children in crisis situations in their families last year. Self-help groups, continuous training, meetings with professional lecturers were organized for guardians. Prepared podcasts, articles, participated and organized various events aimed at publicizing child care.
Therefore, if you are thinking about child care, have questions or want to consult, we encourage you to contact the specialists of the Gargžda care center for help. You can visit the address: Sodo st. 1, Gargžda, or contact by phone: +370 664 32595, +370 600 46841.
Prepared by Odeta Saudargė