what we do - Initial Contact

Initial Contact

Focus Areas

- Emotional

- Social

- Cognitive

- Physical

Community Work

Success

Sustaining Impact

Testimonials

We call the first stage of our contact with street-working children Operation Friendship.

During Operation Friendship, we target street-working children as they work, attempting to build a relationship of trust between the educator and the child. During this initial phase, we establish the needs and interests of each child by visiting them twice a week. As the rapport grows, the relationship is extended to the family and work begins with the child´s parents. Co-operation and therapeutic support are used to help parents understand and assume their responsibilties.

Trust is built by ensuring that every promise or commitment made to the child or family is kept no matter what; routines, roles and responsibilities for everyone involved are also agreed. We then begin setting appropriate challenges for the child and family. As these challenges are met and gradually built on, the child’s sense of achievement is reinforced by the educator’s praise, and the personal rewards their behaviour brings are identified and highlighted. Once the child and family have begun to respond in this way, the educator sets more demanding challenges to make sure the process of change continues to develop.