El Ele Federation (El Ele Federasyonu) is working to improve the wellbeing of children through the development of family-based care systems. The federation is receiving grant support from our Kahramanmaras Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund, launched in collaboration with the Support Foundation for Civil Society (Sivil Toplum için Destek Vakfı). The organisation is providing psychosocial support to foster families and children in foster care who are affected by the earthquakes, and providing online psychosocial support and training to families who want to become foster parents for unaccompanied children.
Please read the following interview with the organisation for an insight into their work and the impact of their initiatives.
El Ele Federation is receiving grant support from our Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund. In order for our readers to get to know your organisation better, can you tell us about your organisation’s mission and activities?
As El Ele Federation, we are dedicated to improving the wellbeing of children through the development of family-based care systems, particularly focusing on children under state protection. In Türkiye, there are several civil society organisations (CSOs) that have been working with children under state protection for many years, focusing on the development of foster care systems.
While each CSO operates within its thematic area to address Türkiye’s needs, representatives of these associations established the El Ele Federation, believing in the strength of unity and the potential for greater impact when we come together. In our first year, we focused on our organisational development, and we accelerated our activities following the earthquakes on February 6th.
We collaborate with other stakeholders to promote the expansion of the foster care systems nationwide. However, the El Ele Federation has taken on the mission of filling the gaps in this field by focusing on policy and implementation issues. There is growing awareness regarding the deficiencies in practice, and efforts to address these issues are ongoing. In collaboration with all stakeholders, the El Ele Federation is working towards aligning this system with European Union standards nationwide.
We are dedicated to improving the wellbeing of children through the development of family-based care systems, particularly focusing on children under state protection.
Can you tell us about the objectives and activities of the project you are implementing with the grant support of our Kahramanmaraş Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund?
With this project, we are conducting psychosocial support activities to promote the well-being of foster families and children affected by earthquakes, utilising communication tools such as WhatsApp groups and a call support centre. An important step of our project involves developing a comprehensive training module for foster families, assisting them in coping with children who have experienced trauma.
Overall, the project consists of three main activities. Firstly, foster families and children affected by the earthquakes can receive psychosocial support by contacting the support centre. Secondly, families interested in becoming foster families for these children can obtain detailed information about foster care. Thirdly, comprehensive training modules are provided to families who are preparing to become foster families.
The project, in line with its objectives, aims to provide long-term support to families affected by earthquakes and engaged in foster care processes, thereby strengthening the foster care system.
As part of this project, you provide psychosocial support. How does the support process work for the foster families that reach out to you?
Our first team consists of two social workers and four psychologists who assess and provide necessary support for the psychosocial wellbeing of children and families. Our second team is composed of social workers offering consultancy services to those seeking information about foster care. By calling the centre, families can schedule appointments and receive free psychological support through sessions lasting 30-40 minutes.
Additionally, our training modules, prepared by leading academicians in Türkiye, offer a wide range of information starting from children’s developmental stages to the foster care process. These modules will be uploaded to our YouTube channels to be accessible to everyone as open-source materials and will be directed to foster families with the support of the Ministry of Family and Social Services. This way, our project will continue providing a sustainable service by publishing training modules.
The grant support we’ve received is extremely valuable to us in putting these issues on the agenda and contributing to the field.
What are the future goals and activities of your organisation, and how has the current project influenced your plans?
Thanks to the grant support we received, we are taking significant steps forward as the El Ele Federation. This support has given us the opportunity to bring together similar local CSOs and has also helped us to provide mentoring support to CSOs in different provinces of Türkiye. Additionally, we have a series of prepared training modules. By making these accessible from all over Türkiye, we aim to contribute to the development and establishment of CSOs.
Among our major projects are collaborations with the Ministry of Family and Social Services and an impactful study that will bring foster families together on a single platform. We are aware that these comprehensive projects may entail high costs, but we aim to realise these dreams by collaborating with funding organisations.
We also have projects focusing on meeting the needs of children leaving state protection. We will focus on activities that serve positive change and transformation in this area.
We understand that many CSOs need support and assistance to meet their needs. By adding value to the work being done in these areas, we contribute significantly to raising awareness. The grant support we’ve received is extremely valuable to us in putting these issues on the agenda and contributing to the field.
