Innovative practices in Bulgaria
Sharing innovations for improving local self-government
SOS Children Overboard
Save the Children, UK
Background
The Bulgarian practices for providing care for children with special needs are unsatisfactory. So far, the typical approach has been to take such children out of their families and care for them in isolated and remote social institutions. Also, within the community there is a lack of services encouraging and supporting the family to take care of its child. As a whole, the community is not sufficiently aware of the problems of such children. Those parents who make the decision to take care of their children alone face many problems. The opportunities for contacts with other parents, experts and organizations are limited. Traditionally, children with moderate and heavy mental retardation are considered unschoolable , which prevents them from maximally expanding their potential.
The Bulgarian practices for providing care for children with special needs are unsatisfactory. So far, the typical approach has been to take such children out of their families and care for them in isolated and remote social institutions. Also, within the community there is a lack of services encouraging and supporting the family to take care of its child. As a whole, the community is not sufficiently aware of the problems of such children. Those parents who make the decision to take care of their children alone face many problems. The opportunities for contacts with other parents, experts and organizations are limited. Traditionally, children with moderate and heavy mental retardation are considered unschoolable , which prevents them from maximally expanding their potential.
Practice
The project aims to: change the sensitivity and the existing attitude to children with special needs and their families; change existing social practices for support to children with special needs by applying new alternative forms of support to their families and new methodologies of working with the children; unite professionals and a wide group of supporters around the problems of such children and their families.
The first step was the organization of an awareness campaign in local newspapers. A supervisory group was formed to monitor, evaluate and optimize the project. Group members provided assistance when problems within their field of responsibility occurred and gave their contribution to the sustainability of the initiatives. A database of children with special needs was developed. The database analysis presented a clear picture of the scope, type and degree of specific children needs within the municipality. Parent surveys and conversations directed project staff to new forms of assistance meeting real needs. Parents were offered work in small groups for mutual assistance, group therapy and expert consultations. Parents participated in a training on working with disabled children, facilitated by British experts from the Big Orange Bus organization.
A Gaming Services Center is currently being established. It will provide opportunities to play in a stimulating environment and social contacts for children with different degree of disability and of different age.
A group was established to serve as an intermediary between parents and educational institutions with regard to the integrated education of children with special needs. The group studied the scope of the educational system with regard to children with special needs and the encouraging provisions of national legislation, as well as the new educational trends.
There is a plan to develop a project for temporary housing of children with special needs at a location close to the Gaming Center. This will provide the children access to a new stimulating environment and social contacts and will develop a sense of independence in older children.
The project aims to: change the sensitivity and the existing attitude to children with special needs and their families; change existing social practices for support to children with special needs by applying new alternative forms of support to their families and new methodologies of working with the children; unite professionals and a wide group of supporters around the problems of such children and their families.
The first step was the organization of an awareness campaign in local newspapers. A supervisory group was formed to monitor, evaluate and optimize the project. Group members provided assistance when problems within their field of responsibility occurred and gave their contribution to the sustainability of the initiatives. A database of children with special needs was developed. The database analysis presented a clear picture of the scope, type and degree of specific children needs within the municipality. Parent surveys and conversations directed project staff to new forms of assistance meeting real needs. Parents were offered work in small groups for mutual assistance, group therapy and expert consultations. Parents participated in a training on working with disabled children, facilitated by British experts from the Big Orange Bus organization.
A Gaming Services Center is currently being established. It will provide opportunities to play in a stimulating environment and social contacts for children with different degree of disability and of different age.
A group was established to serve as an intermediary between parents and educational institutions with regard to the integrated education of children with special needs. The group studied the scope of the educational system with regard to children with special needs and the encouraging provisions of national legislation, as well as the new educational trends.
There is a plan to develop a project for temporary housing of children with special needs at a location close to the Gaming Center. This will provide the children access to a new stimulating environment and social contacts and will develop a sense of independence in older children.
Results
The supervisory group on the project helped to increase the effectiveness of communications and cooperation between the different institutions working with children. An electronic database of children with disabilities was developed, in order to collect comprehensive information on the scope, type and degree of specific children needs in the municipality. Work groups for mutual assistance were used to achieve a new form of interaction between parents and experts that allows the parents to share their experience and to participate in the development of an individual program for the development of their children. In this way, parents can influence already existing practices.
The supervisory group on the project helped to increase the effectiveness of communications and cooperation between the different institutions working with children. An electronic database of children with disabilities was developed, in order to collect comprehensive information on the scope, type and degree of specific children needs in the municipality. Work groups for mutual assistance were used to achieve a new form of interaction between parents and experts that allows the parents to share their experience and to participate in the development of an individual program for the development of their children. In this way, parents can influence already existing practices.
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