For children to grow up in families and long lasting and safe relationships
With their own parents or in substitute families
Substitute
Family Care
We support children and their substitute parents.
Help to families in difficult situations
We support children and their parents in difficult situations.
Inspiration for parentship
We offer tips and inspiration to all parents.
Systematic solutions
We take part in commenting laws and forming practices in the field of children's rights.
Návrat (Return) is a non-profit organization established in 1993, which advocates and supports the return of children from institutional care into families. We believe that a stable family with loving parents is the only environment where children have optimal conditions for healthy development. A child needs to grow up with parents, no matter whether these are biological or adoptive parents.
To achieve this goal as accredited organization*:
- We are actively searching for new surrogate parents and provide them with accredited preparation. We have found a surrogate family for more than 1000 disadvantaged children (older age, other ethnicity, handicap, health problems, etc.).
- We provide long-term social, legal and psychological counselling and specialized therapies to more than 500 surrogate and foster families.
- We have helped more than 350 children from families in crisis across Slovakia and prevented removing the child from the family.
- We focus on lobbying activities, take part in commenting laws and forming practices in the field of children´s rights by examples of good practice and training.We have introduced professional families into practice, where 1,400 children grow up today.
- We work on communication campaigns with an impact on public opinion and acceptance of substitute family care.
From our work diary: Today all three of them came to see us, Pete, Mummy and Daddy, with big smiles on their faces, returning from holidays. Thinking about it, it’s been almost a year since we got to know her. It was initiated by the custody authorities. She was pregnant, living in a shelter where she wouldn’t be able to stay with the child. She had nobody to turn to, not even the father of the expected child. It looked as if she was all alone to take care of the child. And so, we tried to help her. We found a crisis center where she was received during pregnancy and we supported her during delivery. She was very disappointed that the father didn’t show any interest in the child. We tried to make her understand what he was probably experiencing instead of judging him. We agreed that she wouldn’t push him, but she would be open to help him create a relationship with the child after his birth. And so, it happened. She invited him to the maternity hospital, and the father, though unsure, came and fell in love with his son at first glance. Recently, they’ve been living together, a standard family: a mother on maternity leave and a father as the family’s provider. Daddy is enjoying fatherhood more and more – holding his child in his hands, bathing him, even changing nappies. We are happy because Pete is secure, in the loving arms of his parents, although just a year ago there was a chance that he would be placed in institutional care…
How is Návrat financed
Návrat is a non-profit organization that supports its activities through funds from several sources. Our aim is to create a diversified budget that eliminates the risk of endangering the provision of services to the families, ensures the stability of service offer to all clients and at the same time allows for the independence needed to promote systemic changes.
This budget helps us meet our ultimate goal: To provide systematic and timely assistance to families at risk and professional support to surrogate families in the long-term and as needed, at any time, in the regions and regardless of current projects or planned activities.
About a half of our budget is made up of resources that are precisely limited in terms of regionality, purpose and time of use:
- State resources (from the Labor Office, Social Affairs and Families and the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Families) are used mainly to finance assistance for families at risk, to whom we provide professional services on the basis of earmarked public procurement.
In order to stabilize the families at risk, we provide them with our accompaniment for a long time, even after the end of the state support. At the same time, we respond to requests for assistance outside of public procurement, our clients or other support organizations at a time when professional assistance to the family can prevent the emergence of pathological problems leading to the removal of children.
- Public resources (from self-governing regions, cities and municipalities) enable our regional centers, in cooperation with self-governing regions, municipalities or cities, to respond more effectively and specifically to the needs of people from the region.
- Resources from foundations (grants) are of development importance to us. They help us develop our services and provide our clients with continuous and long-term help and support. At the same time, they provide a space for improving cooperation with other professionals, which leads to the promotion of systemic changes and new effective solutions for abandoned and vulnerable children.
The second part of our budget consists of funds that allow us to respond flexibly to the needs of families, because we can direct them to where they are most needed at a given time and dispose of them immediately.
Unlike the first group of resources, you are free to decide on their use and share this with your acquaintances or employees, and thus actively participate in helping families. They also contribute to changing public opinion, sensitizing people to the needs of abandoned children and their openness to surrogate parenting.
- Revenue from the allocation of 2% of taxes represents on average one-eighth of our budget. You can find out how important they are for us on the special subpage for 2%.
- Donations from individual donors and legal entities
- Regular donations have a special meaning for us. With the regular amount we receive each month, we can plan our activities and services for families better, prepare a more stable budget and thus improve the stability of services and organizations.
- Other revenues generated from contributions from clients for individual services, sales of publications, interest on bank accounts and membership fees also represent an important contribution to our budget.
What do we use the money for?
We use revenues to cover costs on our proffessional services for families. Every year our work affects hundreds of families and their children*.
Our communication campaigns sensitize public to children needs and help to change public opinion in favor of family-friendly solutions for abandoned children.
