Kickoff of the “Famia Fuerte” Pilot for Intensive Family Support

On Thursday, 24 October 2024, the kickoff of the “Famia Fuerte” pilot took place. Famia Fuerte aims to restore balance in families with multiple issues, enabling all family members to live together safely. The event was attended by professionals and leaders from the organisations that make up Famia Fuerte.

On Thursday, 24 October 2024, the kickoff of the “Famia Fuerte” pilot took place. Famia Fuerte aims to restore balance in families with multiple issues, enabling all family members to live together safely. The event was attended by professionals and leaders from the organisations that make up Famia Fuerte.

Why Famia Fuerte?

Research and practical experience indicate a lack of intensive, home-based support for children from families facing multiple challenges in the Caribbean Netherlands. Therefore, Care and Youth Caribbean Netherlands (ZJCN) has joined forces with Sentro Akseso, Expertisecenter Onderwijs Zorg (EOZ), Mental Health Caribbean (MHC), and Youth Services to develop a new support programme for these families.

What does Famia Fuerte do?

Famia Fuerte will operate in Bonaire for a year-long pilot, led by an integrated team with members from Sentro Akseso, EOZ, MHC, and Youth Services. By collaborating closely from the time of a family’s referral, pooling expertise, and working from the philosophy of “doing what is necessary,” Famia Fuerte aims to provide intensive support to families. This approach helps to offer better care and prevent the need for children to be placed outside the home.

Tessa Zitman (Project Leader, ZJCN) explains: “With Famia Fuerte, we truly take the time for families, extending a helping hand where it’s needed most. We don’t view issues as isolated problems or simply as ‘youth care issues’; rather, we look at the full context. Where problems truly lie, often rooted in matters like debt or stress within the family, we provide the right support. This way, we reduce stress and increase safety for the children. By combining our strengths, we hope to also empower the families themselves, enabling them to eventually move forward without Famia Fuerte.”

Anoek Hansen (Director, EOZ) adds: “Famia Fuerte is committed to supporting families and, together with them, discovering their strengths—because there are always things that are going well. Famia Fuerte aims to harness those strengths to achieve goals and, where necessary, to seek support from the family’s own network. Famia Fuerte wants to empower these families so that, later, they can carry on independently and with pride, as a ‘Famia Fuerte’ (Strong Family).”

What’s next?

During the pilot, up to 15 families can receive support. Referrals can be made by any of the participating organisations. Throughout the pilot, the approach will be evaluated to see what works and what doesn’t. At the end of the pilot, a decision will be made about offering this support permanently in Bonaire, and possibilities will be explored to expand it to Saba and St. Eustatius, where this support is also currently lacking.