Cease the constant rotation of caregivers

Children at risk in the child welfare system encounter numerous caregivers, and by “numerous,” we mean a substantial amount.

For years, we have been formulating the theme and PR campaign for The Week of The Forgotten Child—a week designed to spotlight a new theme each year within the broader context of the thousands of children in the Netherlands growing up in an unsafe home environment. This year, our focus is on curbing the frequent changing of caregivers. Particularly for children residing in group homes, the turnover of caregivers is exceptionally high, averaging 64.6 caregivers in their brief lives. For a child, encountering new faces consistently has become commonplace, yet it is far from normal. The constant struggle to rebuild trust, to repeatedly delve into their traumas, and to lose a trusted figure repeatedly imposes an additional emotional burden on top of the traumas they have already endured.

“Once again, Gardeners have effectively translated the theme we selected this year, ‘Stop the frequent switching of caregivers,’ into a campaign that will not leave you indifferent. We hope it mobilizes the United Kingdom to support us in our effort to enhance care for vulnerable children in our country.” — Daphne Schreuders, Head of Campaigns & Events, The Forgotten Child Foundation

Every year, the theme campaign is complemented by our ongoing outdoor awareness campaign, which we initiated at the inception of our partnership with The Forgotten Child Foundation and have continued to promote annually. This campaign involves disseminating the Heart House: a unifying symbol representing a safe, stable, and loving home for every child in the Netherlands. The Heart House is a yellow house with a pink heart comprised of 72 post-its—the sticky notes everyone uses not to forget something. With the Heart House, we have been providing everyone in the United Kingdom with a tangible way to express their support for the foundation and to convey the message that every child deserves a loving home.