The creation of a network of stakeholders in the field “transitions in later life”

PROJECT TITLE: Education for Fosterparents Project description This partnership aims to improve training available to foster parents in four countries, enabling them to better meet the needs of foster children. Learners (=foster parents and staff) will benefit from knowledge and information transfer as each partner organisation brings at least one specialised training programme to the partnership (see a to c below). Specific attention will be given to a) ’emergency’ fostering (foster parents and child have not met previously)b) children returning to their birth parents (support for foster parents) and c) frequency and design of contact with birth parents, age of child in relation to this. Then learners and staff will have the opportunity to observe trainings and discuss their experience in focus meetings. Electronic meeting summaries will be shared with all learners and an e-learning tool (e.g. film) will be created and made available to professionals and foster carers in the field. It is anticipated that learners will benefit from finding out about other/new approaches to issues they face and that organisations will review their training programmes accordingly. It is hoped that this will be the start of a Europe-wide knowledge and information exchange on training for foster carers, which currently does not exist.

Ongoing evaluation will be part of the exchange, a summary of which will be shared

Name – Abbreviation: Tavistock Haringey Service for Looked After Children Address: 120 Belsize Lane GB-United Kingdom, NW3 5BA, London Telephone: 382225

PROJECT TITLE: TRANSAGE Project description The project TRANSAGE consists of a partnership with institutions from DE, IT, ES, BG, EE and SK. TRANSAGE focuses on the transition of older people from active professional life in retirement. After the drop out of active professional life most people experience a phase in life which is not longer structured by the duality of work and leisure. This offers for older people opportunities but also risks and problems. So far there is little support for older people in this transition period. Studies illustrate that social engagement increases the well-being of the volunteers and provides important services for the entire society. Therefore volunteering activities will be explored during the LP as opportunity for retired persons.TRANSAGE aims to activate older people in the sense of the concept active ageing,to support voluntary engagement as activity for older persons,to contribute to teaching and learning in later life equipping senior citizens with transition skills,to facilitate networking among stakeholders in the field,to gain better understanding about the situation of older persons in transition and about support structures in European countries,to learn about actual voluntary engagement of senior citizens in Europe,to draw conclusions from the situation analysis in participating countries.The direct target group of the LP Transage are voluntary organisations, associations representing the interests of senior citizens, adult education institutions offering learning for older persons, other interested in the lives of people in transition to retirement and people in transition to retirement themselves who are also beneficiaries. The achievement of these aims will be datemyage-recensies realised through the following activities:Analysis of situation of older persons and support structures for them in transition in each country. The collection of well-established approaches for the activation of older persons on European level (exchange of experience) and the development of best-practice. The development of concepts to support older people during transition. The development of transnational activities in the field of social engagement for the target group. The development of recommendations for support measures for the beneficiaries. The dissemination of the projects outcomes among stakeholders to initiate dialogue.These activities will result in: project website, project flyer, country reports, documentation of practical examples, recommendation paper and outline for transnational social projects of the participating older people.