Data from the first half of SOS Children's Village activities thus confirms the importance of preventive services. They can help before, and prevent situations that can culminate with the removal of a child. "When we give time and care to the families that are in trouble, and the difficult situation we can help them to solve in a timely manner, we will avoid fatal consequences. In addition, a child's stay in institutional care or other facilities is several times more expensive than fieldwork. Also, services that are devoted to the family after taking a child cost a lot of money, " says Jana Pěchová from SOS Children's Village.
Emphasis on preventive care has been put in SOS Children's Villages for several years. About 43% of nonprofit clients' clients used the preventive services of SOS Kompas in the first half of the year. The care of social field workers helped so far 147 families. SOS Children's Villages offer SOS Kompas services at six locations in the Czech Republic, including Brno and the capital city of Prague. The Prague branch is now the busiest one for the time being.
Although this year managed to help a record number of children and families, according to Pěchová, the importance of preventive care is still underestimated. "A lot of people think prevention is not important. They say why to help families who get themselves into a difficult situation. But timely work with families leads to the best results. Long-term research has shown that it is cheaper for society to prevent problems before dealing with their consequences, " adds Pěchová.
About SOS Children's Villages
SOS Children's Villages are one of the most important nonprofit organizations involved in long-term direct help for children at risk. With the vision that every child deserves to grow up in a safe and loving family environment, they provide a wide range of services and backgrounds to foster families, preventive, immediate and consequent care for children and young adults at risk.
Source: tz, SOS Children's Villages
Illustrative photo to tz: archive of SOS Children's Villages