Mothers Choice Interview by the FIS Mother’s Choice Youth Leadership Council
Our FIS Mother’s Choice Youth Leadership Council* got in contact with Mother’s Choice, an organisation dedicated to providing children with a loving home, and procured an interview discussing the key details of the organisation and their vision. Read below!
Q: How has Mother’s Choice changed your life?
A: The charity has given me the opportunity to connect with children in need and make a difference in their lives.
Q: How does Mother’s Choice help these children?
A: Mother’s Choice provides various services towards children and mothers in need. Firstly, there is infant and toddler care in which there are daily rotations organised by us to expose and enhance these children’s lives. Secondly, we provide early intervention training which involves physical, speech and psychological therapists. Moreover, we have transition programs dedicated to preparing the children for their move to a permanent home.
Q: How does Mother’s Choice help children achieve permanency?
A: Well, this all stems from us giving them a sense of belonging. Our early intervention services help us to understand a child’s unique needs and preferences. We then bring in individual care plans and necessary therapeutic interventions to aid the child’s development and well-being. It is imperative for us to then collaborate with families to make a safe and welcoming environment for the child to return to. We also attempt to build emotional and psychological resilience in the children and provide ongoing support for post-permanency in order to ensure a smooth transition, with counselling being used to support the transition.
Q: What is the greatest lesson that working with these children at the childcare home taught you?
A: The lessons of empathy, compassion, and the importance of developing a basis of trust and love in relationships with children could be considered to have been the greatest lesson I’ve learned.
Q: What changes do you wish to see happen in the world regarding children and the help of Mother’s Choice?
A: I hope to see greater support from governmental systems regarding supporting children. As it stands, the processes of family reunification are not nearly as efficient as they could be, and I hope that these bureaucratic measures can one day be overcome for the sake of these children. Moreover, community engagement is vital. I hope that one day everyone can be involved in helping children without safe and loving homes, whether it is through volunteering, fostering or adoption.
Q: What struggles do you see children encounter when they live at the childcare home?
A: I think the most common struggle I see is a lack of security in these children. There is often distrust and feeling of unease among them and the challenge of juggling a constantly changing parental figure is disoriented at times.
Q: What are some challenges that you encounter when working at Mother’s Choice? How do you overcome them?
A: The hardest part of this job is the emotional attachment that is formed with these children. It is inevitable that the children must one day move on to a different place, whether it be a foster home, permanent family or institutional care. The bond formed with them from the love I pour into my work is something that tears me apart each time they leave. Additionally, children in institutional care find it harder to express their emotions and can engage in destructive behaviours. Mother’s Choice has programs such as ‘Cuddle Me’ to help instil a sense of security, guide them to regulate their emotions and encourage reflection in the children.
Q: What can we do to help Mother’s Choice?
A: We currently operate with 50 volunteers and 30 staff members per day taking care of 44 children. We want to reduce this ratio as much as possible so that every child has the support that they need, if this is not the case this can lead to delayed development of the child. If you are above 16 you can apply to volunteer at the childcare home and help us achieve our goal!
The Mother’s Choice Youth Leadership Council is a student-run association with many individual school chapters, it provides students with opportunities to learn alongside Mother’s Choice staff about the social problems affecting our city. For example this school year, all chapters of the YLC have worked to increase the awareness about the importance of permanency for children. The FIS school chapter was founded this school year after interaction with Mother’s Choice, it consists of 30 students from Y10-13.
*The Mother’s Choice Youth Leadership Council is a student-run association with many individual school chapters, it provides students with opportunities to learn alongside Mother’s Choice staff about the social problems affecting our city. For example this school year, all chapters of the YLC have worked to increase the awareness about the importance of permanency for children. The FIS school chapter was founded this school year after interaction with Mother’s Choice, it consists of 30 students from Y10-13.