Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Social Work Department organized the event 'The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Working with Vulnerable Child Groups'. Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış, Head of Üsküdar University, Faculty of Health Sciences Social Work Department, moderated the program, which took place via Zoom. İsmail Barış touched upon basic information regarding foster families and made evaluations on who can become a foster parent.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Barış: 'People who love children and are patient should be foster parents'
Barış stated that being married is not a prerequisite for becoming a foster parent; 'Understanding, child-loving, and patient individuals should become foster parents. Goodness is contagious. There are also certain conditions for becoming a foster parent. But first and foremost, one must be willing and love children to become a foster parent,' he said.
Neşe Gökalp: 'Our sole aim is for children to grow up in a warm home'
Neşe Gökalp, President of the Istanbul Foster Family Association, stated that she started volunteering in the foster family system at the Üsküdar Hasan Tan orphanage and became involved in the system suddenly. She noted that awareness activities, events, and projects continue in the association, which operates as a civil society organization. Gökalp emphasized children's secure attachment to their families; 'Our sole aim is for our children to grow up in a loving and warm home. Everyone who wishes has a chance to become a foster parent. The age range for becoming a foster parent should be 25-65 years old,' she said.
Güler Aslan: 'Being able to change even one person's life is very valuable'
Güler Aslan, President of Bizim Çocuklar Youth Academy Association, emphasized the importance of education in children's lives, stating; 'We learned to look at things from a rights-based perspective, and we saw how the activities we held touched children's lives. As an association, we provide scholarships to nearly 80 children. The first student to receive a scholarship from our association was a young person from Üsküdar University; being able to touch and change even one person's life is extremely valuable. Defining a child with negative attitudes affects the child's development, and unfortunately, incorrect outcomes are observed,' she said.