Ilasiaq

The Ilasiaq supportive housing unit in Nuuk in Greenland is part of the Mælkebøttecentret creative activity and crisis centre in Nuuk in Greenland and has existed as a socio-educational accommodation programme for socially vulnerable children since 2011.
This evaluation, which was completed one year after the establishment of Ilasiaq, shows that Ilasiaq is a well-run modern institution. The children who live in the unit often start with behavioural problems, emotional problems and problems with hyperactivity.
During their stay, the extent of their behavioural problems decreases, and to some extent, so do the hyperactivity problems, whereas the children still face emotional challenges. The emotional challenges are often demonstrated by the children shutting out their emotions and feelings, and many of the children are very controlling and manipulative. This is most likely to deal with their own anxiety.
The majority of the staff at Ilasiaq are not trained to work with children requiring treatment. Nevertheless, the evaluation shows that the staff have learned to cope with the task, so that the children benefit from their stay at Ilasiaq. At the same time, focus is on training the staff in order to enable them to deal with the children’s difficult behaviour. The report recommends continued supervision and training of employees.