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Employee Relocation - Children's Support Advice Hub

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Supporting International Children

Bournes has joined together with Expat Valley and our colleagues across the Harmony Relocation Network to work on providing a collection of resources, tools and enhanced services globally to help International Children thrive.

Most of us will have heard the phrase "it takes a village".... In a typical childhood, it takes a village to raise a child. An entire community of people that provide a safe, supportive, and healthy environment for children. In the context of international migration, there is no village anymore. Which also means a failing sense of community and loss of a bigger support system.

We believe that when Parents, Employers, Service Provider Partners and Experts work together we can create the much needed support system that allows them to do so. 

The resources on this page are designed for companies who want to be a part of that support system to help children, families, employees and their organisations thrive. 

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Why Children's Support is Important

In their experience of supporting International Children Expat Valley have found many common benefits to extending your organisations care to international children and their families. 

  • Employee Experience - By recognizing the needs of children, you develop a sense of community and strong bond between the child, their parents, and your organization.
  • Risk Management - Create stability by reducing the number of failed international assignments as a result of family stress.
  • Wellbeing - Happy children = happy assignments
  • Retention - Earn the loyalty and trust of your international employees by caring for their children.
  • Innovation - Increase your relevancy by introducing a new approach in the landscape of international migration and wellbeing.
  • DE&I - By showing empathy for children currently growing up across borders, you’re also acknowledging the diverse international backgrounds and stories of your own organization’s workforce.
  • Sustainability - By making future generations’ best interests part of your North Star vision, you’re able to make business decisions more responsibly.
  • Work-life balance - Improve employees’ productivity and engagement by supporting their family with adjustment challenges.
  • Talent Acquisition - Invest in your attractiveness for young generations that increasingly care about organizations’ legacy, purpose and reputation
  • Brand Building - It’s the right thing to do. Letting children actively participate in the assignment gives them the chance to become fans of your business and share in the pride of your brand.

CHILDREN'S RELOCATION SUPPORT TOOLS FOR GLOBAL MOBILITY TEAMS

You can use the following tools to help your organisation become more child-friendly in the relocation process. 

We're adding to these tools all the time so please check back soon or register your interest to be the first to hear about new tools.

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Children's Assignment Letter

A personal message from your organisation to the children of your relocating employees that aims to set the assignment up for success and start the conversations that help international children to thrive.

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Child Friendly Policy Template

A 3-step program (including sample policy) to help you build a child-friendly Global Mobility policy for your organisation. 

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Child Friendly Partner Selection Criteria

Coming soon!

Find out what questions you can ask in your next RFP or vendor review to assess how child friendly your potential partners are. 

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School Search Support

Expert guidance and support to find the right Educational provision for the children of your employees so they can settle in quickly and reach their potential. 

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Expert & Escalation

Expert & Escalation services support a child or family that needs special attention - whether that's for special education, neurodiversity, family law, counselling and more - the Expat Valley team are experienced and equipped to help.

MORE SUPPORT

Our friends at Expat Valley offer a range of support to Global Mobility professionals who want to do better for international children. 
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Join an Inspiration Session

This Inspiration Session is relevant for Global Mobility professionals interested in learning more about how your organization could provide support children through your program.

Your organization may have one or more of the following ambitions: to improve international Talent Acquisition and/or Retention; to improve the Employee Experience of your international talent; to make your Global Mobility program more inclusive and/or see more diversity in your global workforce. Actively paying attention and supporting accompanying children's needs form an opportunity to improve in all these areas.

During this 50-minute long session Expat Valley provide a 'crash course' in children's experiences throughout international relocation, and actionable insights that allow your organization to support them and their parents (and thus, your colleagues) more effectively, immediately.

The session is hosted via Google Meet, which allows you to just listen in, or actively participate and ask questions.

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The Ombudscan

The Ombudscan is a series of workshops designed for Organizations looking to explore and learn with Expat Valley's experts about how their organization would benefit from extending their care to international children.

The Ombudscan is relevant to organizations who work directly with and for children, and also for organizations whose positioning or proposition is important to the parents of these children, or the employers of the parents of these children.

Includes:

  • International Children's Experience
  • Stakeholder Analysis
  • Child Journey Map
  • Self-Assessment
  • Improvement Plan

 

CHILDREN'S RELOCATION SUPPORT TOOLS FOR FAMILIES

Parents and families can use the following tools to help start conversations and better support their children throughout the relocation journey.

We're adding to these tools all the time so please check back soon or register your interest to be the first to hear about new tools.

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Tips for Moving Internationally with Children

Top tips for preparing before, during and after your house move to make the move experience easier for parents and children alike. 

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Children's Packing Tips

Tips, guidance and a useful checklist to help children feel involved in the moving process by taking part in the packing process for moving their personal belongings and to make sure they have everything they need when they arrive.  

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Children’s Home Viewing Checklist

Coming soon!

A printable checklist for children accompanying home viewings to be completed during the visit to keep them entertained and involve them in the process. 

Register Interest
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Colouring Posters

3 x International Relocation-Themed Colouring Posters to help younger children get excited about their relocation, explore their feelings and start conversations with parents. 

PLUS

1 x Moving Info page to attach to the child's own packing boxes

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International Friends Book

Coming soon!

The International Children’s Friends Book is a A5-sized hard-cover book designed for children to collect personal messages and memories from friends and family members. The book can be cherished by its owner throughout their international journey, as a memorabilia of all their international friendships.

Register Interest
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Children’s Card Game

Coming soon!

An A7-sized hard-cover box containing 36 (9 x 4) cards designed for families to play together to start conversations and explore feelings around the upcoming relocation. 

Register Interest
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Relocation Postcards

Coming soon!

The set of International relocation-themed Postcards will contain 10 A6-sized postcards that Children can send to friends and family to share their journey and stay connected. 

Register Interest

INTRODUCING EXPAT VALLEY

Bournes have partnered with Expat Valley to help us better support the organisations we work with and the children we relocate. From understanding and enhancing how our own services impact the experience of International Children to raising awareness and sharing expertise amongst the Global Mobility community. 

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Expat Valley is the Ombudsperson for International Children. A social enterprise with a continuously improving range of solutions and programs, all intended to accomplish our ultimate goal: we want international children to thrive!

Expat Valley believe that international children and their families are part of an ecosystem surrounded by various types of organizations. Everyone benefits when these organizations consciously care for them, based on an understanding of how migration impacts these children’s lives.

Find out more at https://expatvalley.com/