Making a fresh start at a Christmas Seal Home

Far too many children in Denmark fail to thrive. They do not have friends, or belong healthily in groups or know understanding adults they can talk to. They lack a sense of belonging where they are seen, heard and understood. Failure to thrive may be the result if a child does not benefit from the surrounding community.

The Christmas Seal Homes give children aged 7-14 and their families a chance to make a new start. The children stay at a Christmas Seal Home for ten weeks, together with other children who are also working to overcome challenges. A clear framework, new communities and the right combination of healthy food, play and exercise help the children to find their strengths. They build up self-esteem by learning new ways of looking at themselves and the world.
 
“The Christmas Seal Homes can give special help to children and their families, which they cannot get anywhere else. After a child has ended a stay at a Christmas Seal Home, we continue to work with the whole family to improve the child’s well-being, and as something new we now include individual follow-up and bridge-building during the next ten weeks,” says Mette Grovermann, chief consultant at the Christmas Seal Homes.
 
The Christmas Seal Homes’ follow-up coordinator works closely with the family, the child’s school, the local authority, and community organisations to find the most effective support after the child’s stay has ended, to ensure that the positive changes achieved are sustained. It means the family will thrive better in the future. 
 
“We believe all adults should take responsibility for children’s well-being, and we are delighted that the Vissing Foundation is supporting our important work,” says Mette Grovermann.