Equipping People: Celebrating Children
The most valuable resources in the effort to transform the lives of children at risk are the people who interact with them day by day. All the support and training that we offer to the networks would be ineffective without the carers who clothe, feed, educate, love, and nurture vulnerable children towards a better future.
However, working with children in difficult circumstances of loss, trauma, abuse, and neglect is a demanding and draining responsibility, and front-line workers are often starved of opportunities to develop themselves and build their personal skills, resilience, and understanding.
How can we meet this need?
Viva attempts to meet this need for development with a unique training course called Celebrating Children, which balances academic and practical input with personal mentoring to enable front-line workers to put training into practice within their place of work. The programme provides some of the most basic tools for success, allowing carers to more effectively and relevantly serve the children with whom they are working.
What does the course involve?
Celebrating Children is a holistic course that balances theory and practice, and offers a Christian perspective on child development and essential skills needed for work with children at risk. Whilst drawing on the best teaching in the field, the course is also founded on Biblical principles. It also addresses the whole child, taking into consideration their physical, developmental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing in the context of family and community. Viva teaches the syllabus at certificate level, and it is also offered by a number of reputable training institutions.
What issues does the course address?
1. Understanding the Child in Context
2. Key Issues in Listening to Children
3. Risk & Resilience
4. Holistic Work with Children
5. Working with Children: Practical Issues
6. Child Protection and Helping Traumatised Children
7. Development, Evaluation, and Monitoring of Programmes
8. Self-Development & Staff Development