Aleksinac “Our town is our home”

In the period from November to December 2014, and in the framework of the project “Our city is our home” mapping of 87 social care users was done by the Centre for Social Work Aleksinac municipality. Needs, potentials and functionality of people with intellectual and mental disabilities placed in 9 residential institutions were mapped, in Tutin, Kragujevac, Veliki Popovac, Sremcica, Izvor-Paracin, Trbunje-Blace, Knjazevac, Kulina and Tesica. Providing accommodation in institutions across Serbia was inevitability of particular moment, due to the lack of community services and the necessary support, which would enable staying to stay to some of them.
The estimation was done by the educated professionals, the employees of the institutions, while the three experts monitored the work of professionals, because of the importance that estimation has for users in the field of decision-making about the possibilities for leaving the institution and finding more quality, more meaningful and humane living conditions.
Estimation of users by mapping is directly related to decision-making for structuring existing and establishing of new services in the local community, which are necessary for users, people with disabilities in the intellectual and mental functioning.
Also, 30 people were selected to go to the 7-day camp “School of life skills”. Through the process of becoming independent, passing through practical training in the “School of life skills”, it is planned that 15 people with mental and intellectual disabilities reach such a level of functionality that can leave the institution as restrictive environment and to be cared for in foster care as a transitional form of support until the final independence.
It is important to emphasize that during the mapping good cooperation of experts from the Centre for Social Work of Aleksinac municipality and the Children’s Heart with staff in institutions was established.
By this, the goal in which 15 people with mental and intellectual disabilities leave the residential facilities and be taken care of in less restrictive conditions, will be realized.

Mapping the needs of 90 families who have a member with intellectual or mental disabilities

In the framework of the project “Our town is our home” the needs of 90 families from the municipality of Aleksinac whose members are adults with intellectual or mental disabilities are mapped with the purpose of seeing the real needs of these people and providing assistance and support to their families.
The process of mapping enabled the active participation of people with intellectual and mental disabilities and their families in the selection of the service, as well as contributing to the establishment of the same. Participation of users and their families has created the individual experience of starting power to initiate changes and controlling the quality of their own life and it increased sense of responsibility. Informing the public represented one of the main conditions of mapping whose aim is not only informative. Wider community involvement in the problems of people with intellectual and mental disabilities prevents discrimination, institutionalization, improves quality of life, improves social integration and the ability to realize the rights they have.
Also, mapping of resources of the local community was done, which provided assistance to more precise definition of the characteristics of the environment by providing a picture of what exists in the community as a resource. Mapping of resources made it possible to detect and exploit the potentials that exist in the community, people and their knowledge, skills and time, other sectors, natural environment.
Bearing in mind the objective to respond on identified needs of people with intellectual and mental disabilities by establishing new conditions in the community, this dynamic and interactive process made it possible.  Specific data were obtained from people with disabilities themselves and their families, thus ensuring active participation of service users. Based on obtained results new services in the community will be launched especially home help and protected housing.

Strengthening the capacities of foster parents to take care of persons with intellectual and mental disability

Seminar “Strengthening the capacities of foster parents to take care of persons with intellectual and mental disability” was held for 2 groups of foster parents. For the 1st group seminar was held on September, the 13th and 14th, and for the second group on October, the 4th and 5th 2014 in the premises of OTIS (Municipality’s organisation for tourism and sport) in Aleksinac. 30 foster parents from Aleksinac municipality were included. The aim of this education was to train foster parents in order to include persons with intellectual and mental disability adequately into society after leaving the institution.
During the education, educators were trying to have diversity of themes and to stimulate attendees to be actively involved, as well as to transfer their knowledge and influence development of skill and competencies of foster parents regarding specific way of functioning of persons with mental and intellectual disability.
The basic service, on which process of deinstitutionalisation of persons with intellectual and mental disability is based, is foster care. The reason why the project is set in this way is the fact that persons with intellectual and mental disability have spent most of their life in an institution. Life in institution is totally opposite to life in family. The methodology of deinstitutionalisation process is set in such way so that persons with disabilities, through foster care service, recover emotionally and socially from isolated life in the institution, get involved into community’s life and start independent life with support.

Workshop “Open for our fellow citizens”

Within the project “Our town is our home”, in accordance with planed activities, the workshop “Open for our fellow citizens” was held on September, the 16th 2014. It was held in institution “Hristina Markišić” in Aleksinac.  Participants were representatives of public services in Aleksinac Municipality, 21 in total (from Service Center and General Administration Department of Aleksinac Municipality, National Employment Bureau, Library, Center for Culture, Youth Office, pharmacists from private pharmacies, Electric Power Distribution, Post of Serbia, Police, inspector for criminal, Fire and Rescue Service, Water Supply, City Sanitation).
The aim of the workshop was to sensitize employees in public services to contact with persons with intellectual and mental disability, thereby increasing the sensibility of wider social community for social inclusion of persons with disabilities. By this education, it was enabled to participants, for the first time, to be informed, to acquire certain knowledge to recognize possibilities and ways for increasing community’s awareness and improving social inclusion of persons with disabilities, all this by their own participation in the workshop. The aim is to provide adequate support to every person, in accordance to his/her individual needs, e.g. to buy medicine, provide documentation, pay bills, create possibility to call police or fire service in urgent situations, as well as to be actively involved in cultural and other events. This kind of relationship between wider social community and persons with intellectual and mental disability is different then previous and it represents the model of social inclusion which removes barriers and allows social accessibility.

Center for Social Work as a partner to foster parents

Within the project “Our town is our home” the seminar “Center for Social Work as a partner to foster parents” was held on September, 29th and 30th 2014 in Center for Social Work in Aleksinac. It was attended by trained workers of Center for Social Work from Aleksinac municipality, social workers, psychologists, pedagogues, lawyers and one sociologist, 15 in total.
The aim of the seminar was to strengthen the capacities of Center for Social Work by strengthening personal capacities of its experts which gives contribution to better protection of persons with intellectual and mental disability and improves the quality of their life. By strengthening professional competencies of employees in Center for Social Work in Aleksinac, it creates conditions for deinstitutionalisation implementation and possibilities, through development of new services, for return of those beneficiaries prepared to leave institution, as well as the preparation of local community for their return and adequate social integration. Center for Social Work and its staff have the most significant role in decision making on beneficiary’s leaving from the institution, his/her placement in less restrictive conditions, assessment of beneficiary’s need to use certain services as well as on launching the new ones if there is need for them.