Orr Shalom Training Day for Foster Families

Orr Shalom held a training day on the subject of sex education and the effect of sexual abuse on a child’s development on December 20th in Tel Aviv. The participants were 50 of Orr Shalom’s foster-central and foster-therapy families, and around 13 Orr Shalom social workers. The day was opened by Anat Dunowicz, Orr Shalom’s executive director, and Shala Leibovitch, the welfare ministry’s national foster-care director. The first session was given by the clinical psychologist, David Banai, who dealt with the changes that have taken place in Western society over the past few decades in the field of sexuality, and the effect these changes have had on children and teenagers. Banai also spoke about the different stages of sexual development in children and teenagers, and the role of parents in educating children about safe and appropriate sexual behavior.

The second session was run by Barber Reicher, a social worker specializing in family therapy. She spoke about the effect of sexual abuse on a child’s development: What is sexual abuse and how is it expressed? How can we identify children who have been sexually abused and how can we identify children who are sexual abusers? How can we provide a safe home environment for a child who has been sexually abused?

In the third session, the foster-care social workers supervised small workshops made up of the foster-families. The discussion focused on how the material covered in the sessions’ impact on the work of caring for foster-children. Simultaneously, the social workers held a discussion group related to the content of the lectures, and how this might benefit their work with the families. 

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