Sheltering and Reintegration of Distressed Adolescents

Principal Activities

When a child is admitted at Egarande farm, the team develops an individual project together with the referral social worker, the adolescent himself and his family (whenever possible). This project evolves in partnership with the referring social institution for each child, as the initiator of the placement and closer to his family, difficulties and story.

School activities

The individual project for some children includes school programs compatible with their learning, integration and behavior problems. These children follow on a weekly basis an individual program with a written timetable that helps them find temporal landmarks. One can find there details such as the periods spent in external schools, hospitalizations, the appointments for psychological sessions, the activities at Egarande with the name of the educator specifically assigned to the child, the in-house school support.

Day-to-day activities

Daily activities are an integral part of the educational project conducted at the farm; they aim at fully restoring a role to the child in the household, within a defined setting. They provide limits and landmarks allowing each individual living in this small community to feel recognized and respected. Altogether, they work on simple educational bases such as the respect of basic rules (times, meals...), the respect of the place (maintenance, cleaning.), the respect of others (politeness.) and the respect of oneself (hygiene.).

Professional training and integration within the region

Children not involved in a school program are put in a professional setting through training/apprenticeship at local businesses and/or craftsman's shops (mechanic, woodwork.) at suitable times and workstations.

They are also encouraged to collaborate at building sites of the municipality of settlement: for example, reconstruction of a small train station and part of the railway tracks, within the frame of the railway tourist circuit of the Haut Forez project; or hand crafting of flower boxes. Living in the country does not mean being cut off from the rest of the world. Sheltered children can benefit from local sport or cultural activities that also allow them to integrate a social life beyond the borders of the farm. Different outings or holiday projects are also organized:

•  Weekends of sporting competitions (Mountain bike, soccer, running circuits.)

•  Summer camps at the sea side

•  Ski camps during the winter holidays

•  Swimming pool, cinema outings

All these activities, whether individual or collective, allow for the introduction of the sense of solidarity, participation in social life, citizenship. Children also develop handicraft skills and learn to share knowledge.

The link with the family

When the situation permits it , the foremost objective remains working with the families. The return to the family, when possible, is always a part of the plan for the youngster in a placement situation. We wish to create a climate of trust between our center and the families of the children sheltered: occasional on site visits will be made easy (according to the type of placement) and mail exchanges encouraged.

As much as possible, parents must be led to being actors in the life of their child as soon as the situation allows it.

House for young people

In some cases, the child has to decide to build his own life (with our psychological support) withdrawing from his family, either non-existing, pathological or representing a real danger.

In this case, adolescents (aged 17 years minimum) who have demonstrated their capacity to take care of themselves and who are in training or pre-training or engaged in a professional activity are offered the possibility to live in individual apartments within a House for young people located at short distance from the farm. The goal is to experience independence, to learn to manage one's own day-to-day life and thus to gain a new status.

An educator is specifically assigned to ensure the proper development of the child's project outside of the Farm. While not acting on behalf of the child, the educator accompanies him and directs him in the management of day-to-day routine (meals, laundry, cleaning etc..), health, school program, apprenticeship and/or job, budget and helps him learn his way through administrative procedures and in building or maintaining social contacts and friendships.