Category: Prevention & Education

Presentation Date & Time: 03/25/98 13:45:00

Nationally, curricula developed specifically to train caregivers and service providers on the unique needs of children, women and families are limited. Often, materials designed to address the needs of adults living with HIV and AIDS need to be modified and adapted in order to appropriately address the needs of this particular population. This presentation will discuss: the process of integrating the experience of health and social service providers working with HIV-infected children and their families, consumers, and a large agency, into a training format specific to infected and affected women, children and their families residing in Central and South Texas. A driving force of the work and activities of the Project SALUD y Unidad en La Familia is to improve the quality of life for HIV/AIDS infected and affected women, children and families. A primary goal of the project is to take a leadership role in the delivery of up-to-date, culturally appropriate information about HIV disease and its effects on families. The development of a Curriculum for foster parents, volunteers, and caregivers of children served by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Service System is a mechanism used by the project to achieve its goal of "systems change" via advising local, regional and state policy makers and elected officials of the unique health and human service needs of HIV-infected and affected families. The process undertaken to develop a joint curriculum was critical for a variety of reasons. Foremost, employees in organizations from different delivery systems, structures and perspectives need a systematic process to allow for communication, increased understanding and planning. Through this process, organizations increase their capacity to understand how different systems operate and become sensitive to improving, adapting, or modifying internal operations to better serve the needs of their clients. In the end, it is through this systematic process of combined efforts, group planning and joint action, in seeking to understand our needs, strengths and limitations, that we will affect system change and improved outcomes for those we serve as well as for those who provide services. A unique aspect of this HIV Curriculum is that it is based on findings identified by the Project's Family and Child Needs and System Assessment Evaluation. This needs assessment is an on-going activity conducted by project partners to identify the existing delivery system's strengths and limitations as perceived by both users and providers of care and services. This HIV Curriculum entitled "Children and their families: The effects of HIV disease in their Lives" is based on the most significant training needs as identified by our community.