In Finland, the Federation of Mother and Child Homes and Shelters has been using the ICDP programme for seven years now. The Federation is a non-profit NGO, their webpage: www.ensijaturvakotienliitto.fi
The Federation provides assistance to victims of domestic violence; it works on child abuse prevention and offers help to expectant mothers suffering from substance abuse. Their expertise is based on close cooperation with members of the association offering assistance to families in difficult situations, by tackling their grievances and offering solutions. Considerable efforts are made to make the voice of families with children heard and the emergency recognised in the social debate. They gather and publish information on the circumstances of families in difficult positions and influence central government and municipalities to take families into account in decision-making.
The Federation counts on groups of ICDP facilitators who apply the ICDP programme with parents and children. In November, a group of ten professionals who have all been working as ICDP facilitators for some time, embarked on further training to become ICDP certified trainers. The ten facilitators attended the Trainer level workshop from 1-3rd of November 2021, conducted online by Nicoletta Armstrong. The training will continue in person, in 2022.
Having trainers is important for the Federation, because trainers will be engaged in forming new groups of ICDP facilitators inside their networks of care – in this way, the ICDP programme will be sustained and as a result more families will be reached in years to come.