Family Intervention Center - Bet Elazraki Children's Home

They have the opportunity to remain at home and benefit from the core attachment to their parents and family. This can be done through a comprehensive program of education and counseling, both for the parents and for the children, enabling them to function as a normal family unit.

The children who come to the Family Intervention Center have suffered emotionally, and some physically, from their biological families. Needless to say they have been psychologically scarred by their tormented and neglected past. A child that arrives at The Family Intervention Center is coming from an unstable and dysfunctional background. In a normal environment, children attend school, have breakfast and supper at home, and have stability in their lives. Even when they encounter difficulty in their studies they generally have a good support system.

Our children however, only have themselves to rely on. In a dysfunctional family where sometimes the parents are drug addicts or mentally unstable, the child going to school has to deal with an additional emotional load that does not enable him or her to concentrate on studies. On some days the child doesn’t go to school at all because of his family problems. School supplies are scarce and there is no motivation. Even lack of regular meals or sensible nutrition greatly impacts a child’s potential to succeed in school. Due to these inadequacies, schoolwork is missed and neglected. This causes the child to feel incompetent and serves to lower his or her self- esteem even more. Our children come through our doorstep with serious emotional difficulties that manifests itself in their lack of scholastic achievement.

Our children share many of the same basic problems. As a result of non-existent or unreliable and inconsistent adults in their lives, the children mistrust people. The repeated disappointments and frustrations create a problematic cycle. Failing to establish with their parents a solid relationship causes an elementary dissatisfaction that manifests itself in inter-personal relationships.

We see many acts of impulsive and aggressive behavior that increases throughout the years. Our children have low self esteem and are insecure. They are unable to control even minute frustrations and have difficulty postponing gratifications. The raging frustration leads to anger and the use of impulsive and aggressive behavior. In school, there a major discipline issues.

The children all have experienced a loss of control in their lives. They encounter many unpredictable situations. This leaves them with a feeling of their inability to make a difference and cause a change in their life through realistic behavior. The feeling is “fate will determine my future.” The future is often seen as pessimistic combined with their mistrust in their own power and capabilities.

We, at The Family Intervention Center, believe that the main way to break the vicious cycle of distress is through education. By giving these children the tools they need and by raising their self-esteem they have a chance at a healthy and productive future. A child spends most of the day in the educational system. Success within this system brings satisfaction and social status. Our objective is to give each child the opportunity to reach his or her highest academic potential. We want our children to be confident enough to raise their hands in class and that will bring with it the feeling of self-worth. It will give them a chance to succeed in life and society and raise their own children in a normal functioning family.

The Family Intervention Center provides individual treatment programs suited to the emotional and physical needs of each child and family. This innovative Center offers an effective alternative to residential placement for those children for whom there is the chance to remain at home. We know that nothing is comparable to the fulfillment of having an attachment to your own parents. We owe all children that opportunity!