Institute for Family Health

The Institute for Family Health (IFH) serves as a national and regional model for comprehensive and progressive healthcare that addresses the physical, mental, and social welfare of Jordanians and refugees throughout Jordan.

Launched in 1986 by the Noor Al Hussein Foundation (NHF) with support from Sweden’s Radda Barnen, the IFH model evolved from a primary healthcare center for mothers and children to a holistic community healthcare model. It contributes to the wellbeing and resilience of families and individuals throughout their lifecycle by providing integrated prevention, curative, protection, and rehabilitation services that meet the highest professional standards and human-rights principles.

The IFH model is enhanced through a structured referral system with the public and private sectors, local and international NGOs, UN agencies, and, in close partnership with over 200 community-based organizations.

Services

Through its 26 branches in host communities and Syrian refugee camps, as well as through its professional community-based rehabilitation and outreach teams, the IFH provides services in primary healthcare such as family medicine, child health and vaccines, sexual and reproductive health, and clinical management of rape.

The detection and rehabilitation of disabilities continues to be one of IFH’s core services including diagnosis, occupational therapy, special education, visual and hearing aid testing, and fitting. As Jordan’s first established women's health counseling center and trauma management center, the IFH focuses on gender-based violence, psychosocial, and rehabilitation services for survivors of violence and torture. Download the IFH App to learn more about IFH services and locations.

TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE

Capacity building, internship programs, and development of training manuals are extended to caregivers and service providers at civil society organizations (CSOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), international organizations, and the public sector such as the Family Protection Department and the Ministry of Health (MoH).

To further meet national and regional market needs for professionals in social work and humanitarian emergencies, IFH, in partnership with five Jordanian universities has developed pioneering accredited professional diplomas including social work, clinical and pediatric psychology, narrative exposure therapy, as well as audiology and speech therapy. Regionally, IFH has shared its expertise with teams from Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Abu Dhabi, Gaza, Lebanon, Libya, and Tunisia. Moreover, IFH is in the process of establishing the first regional Pain Management School to enrich psycho-physical therapy capacity-building programs.

Accreditation and Quality Assurance

The main IFH clinics obtained accreditation from Jordan’s Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC) for improving the quality of health care services, promoting patient safety, and strengthening non-communicable disease services.

IFH clinics are also recognized as Centers of Excellence for Gender-Based Violence Services by the National Council for Family Affairs; Youth Friendly Centers for Sexual and Reproductive Health by the Higher Population Council; Disability Friendly Centers by the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disability; and Women Friendly Healthcare Centers by the Royal Medical Services and UNFPA.

Juvenile Rehabilitation, Not Incarceration!

In 2019 the Director of the Juvenile Police Department (JPD) asked, “What can we do to help reduce recurrent law violations of juvenile delinquents?”. In collaboration with the JPD, A team of IFH experts immediately conducted a study of 150 delinquent youth and their families. As a result, findings indicated common factors among young delinquents, such as: 87% came from separated/divorced families, emotional deprivation, and violence; 72% had behavior control issues; 85% displayed low academic achievement and learning difficulties, 77% dropped out of school to help their families, making them vulnerable to exploitation. Accordingly, a special program was developed where 50 police officers from the Juvenile Police Department were trained on dealing with violence against children, interviewing skills, and safe referral mechanisms. Intensive therapeutic interventions were provided to the juveniles and their families through narrative exposure therapy, behavior modification, anger management, and life skills training. Statistics from JPD reveal that between 2019 and 2020, repeated infractions by delinquent youth who were referred to the Institute for Family Health dropped from 8% to 0.05%.

"I Love You,Mom', He Said for the First Time

Rashed was a 5-year-old Jordanian boy living in East Amman with his parents and three siblings. His mother noticed problems in Rashed’s development at the age of three. His speech and communication were delayed. The anxious mother began to visit medical centers and clinics to investigate and received contradicting diagnoses including mental disabilities. Running out of hope, she brought him to the IFH clinic in Sweileh where a specialist checked his hearing. It turned out that Rashed suffered from moderate to severe sensory-neural hearing loss in both ears. Accordingly, he received two hearing aids. Coupled with psychosocial sessions, Rashed began to express himself and develop social skills appropriate for his age. "Rashed is finally able to express his feelings to me. Last week, I was very surprised; it was his first time to hug me and say I love you, mom. I didn't believe it and asked him to repeat it many times!", she said with a glow in her eyes.