Familial Relations

The Role of the Family

The role of the family is crucial in the rehabilitation process of the children. It is essential to strengthen family relationships to rebuild the emotional dimension in the children and adolescents.

Initially, during the first 3 months, the children and adolescents are not allowed to leave for permission. The aim is for them to become accustomed to the functioning of CIMA and to detach themselves from the problematic social environment they were in. However, they can make phone calls and receive visits.
After the first three months, every fortnight the children and adolescents can visit their family, provided they have positive evaluations of their behavior at CIMA and at school. Initially, their parents come to pick them up and bring them back. If everything goes well, gradually the older children can go home alone. They are given a family permission slip with the time of departure from CIMA so that their parents can verify that they do not take advantage of this autonomy to wander the streets.

As for the younger ones, their parents must pick them up and return them. On the same slip, the parents must provide their observations on the child's behavior during the weekend.

​From the beginning of their children's stay at CIMA, parents can come to visit them whenever they want, there are no visiting hours.

​Social workers and psychologists take advantage of these visits to interact with them, ensuring that they do not abandon their parental responsibilities towards their children. To complement the work with families, social workers and psychologists make home visits, prioritizing the most dysfunctional families. Training workshops are organized by sector for families living in the same district. These workshops aim to raise awareness among parents about the roles and competencies they must have and to promote their skills. The goal is also to enhance the lifestyle of families in terms of economics, nutrition, etc.

When the family nucleus is highly dysfunctional, and the parents are unable to take in the child, CIMA tries to establish contact with other relatives (aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.).