Care in Daily Life
Most of children come from malfunctioned families; therefore, they are slow in physical and mental developments. They need more love and professional attention. The SRCHMOHW provides eleven homes, based on children’s gender and age. Each home is set up as a family. The eleven homes are: Year Yuan, Dong Tsuen Le Xiao Zhu, Xi Tsuen Le Xiao Zhu, Dong Chen Xin Yuan, Xi Chen Xin Yuan, Dong Chuan Xin Tsai, Xi Chuan Xin Tsai, Dong Gen Yu Lu, Xi Gen Yu Lu, Dong Gen Xin Yuan, and Xi Gen Xin Yuan. Each home has two attendants. Each one takes turn to provide the children with the best twenty-four hour care. The attendants not only take care of the children’s daily life, but also visit children’s school when possible. They talk with the children every night before they go to sleep. The social workers and counselors also visit each home periodically to help the children who need extra guidance or consultations. The dietitians take care of children’s meal and nutrition.
The SRCHMOHW has 148 children. Most of them are not performing well in school because of their family backgrounds. In order to improve their basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics in elementary and secondary schools so that they will learn happily, the center has done the following:
In order to promote their mental development, and to provide them with different learning opportunities, the center has many extracurricular activities such as computer classes, drawing, Origami, percussion music, cooking, orchestra, piano lessons, dancing, and conversational English. Specialists and volunteers teach these activities. The children enjoy them.
The SRCHMOHW holds many outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, birthday parties, and barbecuing. It also hosts many sport events and contests. The purpose is to keep the children entertained while enriching their life experiences.
Health Care
In order to understand the children’s health condition, the SRCHMOHW give children complete physical exams when they are admitted. The center also provides children with routine dental check up, vaccination and health lessons so that every child can grow in a healthy and clean environment.
Every other year the SRCHMOHW invites doctors from near by hospital to give children complete physical exams so that any disease can be diagnosed and cured as early as possible.
In order to better understand the children’s state of mind, the SRCHMOHW works with psychiatrists, pediatricians and therapists from Kaohsiung Municipal Hospital and Kaohsiung Medical School to help children with mental and emotional problems. The center also works with social workers and psychologists from the hospital to conduct IQ test and counseling to the children.
Because most of the children are either abandoned by their parents or have come from dysfunctional families, they lack parental care. Hence, they are slow in physical, emotional, social and speech development. The center actively works to promote early diagnosis and treatment.
Individual Guidance
The SRCHMOHW provides guidance to each slow developing child so he or she can achieve his or her goal.
From the first day that a child is admitted to the center, the teachers start to record his or her physical, emotional and social behaviors.
The guidance counselors in the center constantly keep in touch with children’s guardians and schoolteachers to understand children’s recent school performance and their family situation.
If a child has behavior problems and needs special guidance or treatment, the guidance counselors will work with social workers and childcare attendants, and hold a meeting for the special case. They also invite specialists or psychiatrist to study in individual case. This is to ensure that the child is provided with the best treatment.
Tracing And Continuous Guidance
The SRCHMOHW terminates adoption when a child’s family situation improves, when a child graduates from high school, or when a family adopts a child. However, the center keeps track of the child after he or she leaves to make sure that he or she is still under good care. If necessary, the center will continue to provide additional support. Every year one the second Sunday of July is the family reunion day. The center invites all the directors, teachers, guidance counselors and the children who were in the center before. It is a good opportunity for them to share their experiences.
Volunteers
The center recruits volunteers from college students and enthusiastic people in the community to help the children with different activities. So far, there are 123 volunteers.
Community Service
In order to fully utilize the facilities to serve the community, the SRCHMOHW has 40 children in the day care center, 11 of which are from the SRCHMOHW and 29 of which are from the neighborhood. There are two classes according to the children’s age. The children are disciplined with basic skills. They are also taught drawing, singing, dancing, music, arts and crafts. The community praises the achievement and effort of the center.
The center provides workshops once every month. Specialists are invited to teach parents and staff members about children health care, nutrition, pressure relief and therapies.
The “Carnation Hot Line” was established in 1981. The phone number is (07)583-9595. Parents can call to get right information and good related material to teach their children.
The magazine “Carnation” was published in 1983. There are many articles about parental education, medical information, and interesting articles for the children. There are two issues each year and we have had 57 issues that are free for interested parents or agencies in the community.
The center welcomes group visits when the children are at school. It is a good chance for visitors to understand the purpose of the establishment of the center.
The SRCHMOHW provides college students with internship. Students come to the center to practice the skills they have learned from college.
With the help of donation associations and the assistance of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, the SRCHMOHW has opened computer classes to face with rapid improvement in information technology. These classes are especially for low-income students from Kaohsiung area. These are two classes for beginners and advanced students on weekends.
Our orchestra, directed by teachers, has performed in many schools, hospitals and communities during the holidays or weekends. With the help of volunteers and attendants, children have earned a good reputation.