Dr. Sandie Morgan and Dave Stachowiak are joined by Leonie Webster, a U.K. trained healthcare and clinical professional. They discuss the downfalls of institutionalized living and a harm reduction model that could provide a solution.

Key Points

Resources

193 – Child Institutionalization and Human Trafficking

Are you enjoying the show?

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe or rate the podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Click here for FAQs about podcasts and how to subscribe.

Haven’t been receiving our newsletter? Visit our homepage to join today.

Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions at [email protected].

Transcript

Dave [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 207, The Harms of Institutionalizing Children.

Production Credits [00:00:09] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave [00:00:30] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, one of the things that I so appreciate about our work together is just how many amazing and wonderful partnerships you have built around the world. And not only are those partnerships and friendships, but just how much we are able to learn from so many of the different people and organizations that you’ve had the privilege to work with over the years, and today’s no different right.

Sandie [00:01:09] Absolutely. And I have to say too, Dave, that it was such a pleasure to be on your podcast to talk about overlapping networks and this is an example of overlapping networks. I have been partnering with Open Gate International and then they introduced me to our guest today, Leonie Webster, who is a UK trained health care clinical professional, a certified nurse, midwife practitioner, and she has academic and professional expertise in neonatal, and attachment deinstitutionalization, trauma-informed care, policy and reform for prevention of child maltreatment, and it goes on and on. And she’s got 20 years of experience serving internationally. And in fact, lived in Honduras for seven years. I’m very excited to welcome Leonie to our show.

Leonie [00:02:12] Thank you for having me.

Sandie [00:02:14] Alright. So, we’re going to talk about some of your work, but let’s talk a little bit about your own personal experience and especially what you learned by living in Honduras for seven years and one of the biggest takeaways.

Leonie [00:02:30] Yes wow, where do we start? That’s a loaded question. Yes, I first went to Honduras in 2003, mainly for a short time missions’ trip to go and observe clinical need within the remit of midwifery and obstetrics. And I was thrown into the arena of orphan and vulnerable children because the clinic that I worked in was next door to an orphanage, a residential facility. And I quickly became aware of the huge needs for legally orphaned and vulnerable children at high social risk, especially in a country with high conflict and political instability.

Sandie [00:03:22] So, you were there. And were you working all the time in the orphanage?

Leonie [00:03:30] I was invited to partner with some international missionaries who were looking after 17 children in a very small beautiful Christian orphanage. And I quickly saw the realities of early institutional living for children who were legally abandoned or orphaned.

Sandie [00:03:55] And what were some of those consequences for those children in their development?

Leonie [00:04:01] So, when I was working in the orphan place, a typical affects and consequences of institutional living largely depends on the age of the entry and how long the child remains in the residential [00:04:15] facility. But I saw a catalogue of symptoms and behaviors amongst the children psychosocial relationship problems, learning delays, cognitive development delays, disturbances and delays in physical growth, speech, social development, low emotional intelligence, and inappropriate lax or absent boundaries setting. [26.5s] Many of these behaviors just seemed normal amongst the children. Also, just incidences of anxiety, withdrawal, depression. It was really quite apparent very quickly that all was not well within the walls of a Christian residential facility.

Sandie [00:05:03] And I think I want to make it really clear that all of this is well-intentioned and the basic life needs are there. There’s food, there’s a place to lay your head, there’s safety, the doors are locked, but something happens in the institutionalization of children that interferes with their normal development. And we took a team here from Vanguard to Romania one year, and one of the activities that our students did as part of touched Romania, we visited a hospital, a state-run hospital, and spent two hours holding and playing with babies and toddlers. And this was an everyday outreach activity because in the state-run facility for those babies and toddlers, there was very little staff to do that for those babies. And that’s an important aspect of their normal development, play and being held is important.

Leonie [00:06:18] Absolutely. And not only being held but being seen and being valued. And I think one of the greatest challenges of long-term institutional living is for the most part it’s run by lay personnel employers, so the children remain in a constant state of uncertainty and anxiety because they’re not parenting. And then also, there’s no guarantee that that primary caregiver the employment of the orphanage is not going to leave. So, these children who are already vulnerable and have often have symptoms of PTSD, they have no certainty that the one person who was caring for them right now will remain, so obviously an orphanage losing employers have large amounts of children to look after and certainly chose and needs of the organization often supersede the needs of the child. So, lack of autonomy, lack of individuality, lack of connection and one on one care is really lacking. Subsequently, the harmful effects on the children.

Sandie [00:07:36] Well and some cultures have a different way of approaching child rearing as well. I lived in Greece for 10 years and my background in p...