Listen, support, empower

“The Day Care Centre has given us both a break and a sense of security – knowing that our child is, above all, safe and protected, that she can play, socialise, enjoy herself, and that there are people there who work with them,” explains Andrijana, the mother of nine-year-old Andjela.

We also meet this gentle, smiling, yet shy little girl. Although she was diagnosed at birth with microcephaly, which affects her speech and causes delayed psychomotor development, today, thanks to the persistence of her parents and the dedication of professionals, Andjela speaks, makes friends, and learns. She is now in the third grade at the “Mladost” special school in Pirot.

For several years, before or after school, she has been coming to the Day Care Centre for children and young people with developmental disabilities. She loves spending time with other children. Every day at the Centre she acquires new knowledge and skills, while practicing motor functions and speech.

“Today, Andjela is, I would say, a happy child, from a happy family. She has made great progress. She is more communicative and freer, she has started forming sentences. She loves to play, she loves company, she loves children”, says Andrijana.

At the Day Care, Andjela’s mother also receives support. Together with Andjela, other children, and parents, she participates in many activities, workshops, and performances.

“The presence of professionals who understand our daily life, and their openness to cooperation, gives us a sense of support, safety, and acceptance. Through activities with other parents and professionals, we have gained new skills”, explains Andrijana.

Supporting parents is key to preserving family stability and preventing children from being separated from their families. This is why professionals, social workers, educators, coordinators, and associates must have the knowledge, skills, and resources to reduce parental stress, strengthen family capacities, and ensure a safe and stimulating environment for children.

UNICEF and the Association of Social Protection Professionals have implemented capacity-building activities for professionals in home care services for children, day care for children and young people, and counselling for marriage and family. In 17 municipalities, trainings were held under the titles: “Improving Competences of Service Providers in Working with Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities”, “Home Care for Children with Developmental Disabilities” and “Be the Hand that Loves.” Service providers also received mentoring support through visits and joint meetings, exchanging experiences and practices.

All these activities were implemented within the program “PRO – Local Governance for People and Nature”, jointly carried out by UN agencies in Serbia – UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNEP – in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia and with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland.

“Support is already being provided through services, but it is insufficient if parents themselves are not in focus. These trainings gave professionals additional knowledge to design their own programs in line with local needs, especially programs for working with parents of children they support. The second phase of this project, after the trainings, is mentoring support, particularly for professionals in the department where I work, to not only deliver these services but to improve their quality,” explains Sanja Kljajic, Head of the Department for Professional Work Assessment – Supervision at the Republic Institute for Social Protection, who was also engaged in the project as a mentor for service providers.

“We insist that service providers organize group workshops with parents, informing them in ways that allow parents to empower each other, and ultimately, for parents and professionals to support one another. Their mutual exchange of experiences is more valuable than any advisory work a professional might do within therapeutic principles”, Sanja stresses.

She underlines that the primary goal of the social protection system is for children to remain in their natural environment, within their families.

“It is very important that parental burnout and exhaustion are prevented by enabling both children and parents to use services. On the other hand, working with parents ensures timely access to information about the services available to them, not only within the social protection system but more broadly”, she explains.

The trainings within the “PRO -Local Governance for People and Nature” program were also attended by employees of the Day Care Centre where Andjela spends several hours every day, which operates within the Association for Assistance to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (MNRL).

“We exchanged experiences with colleagues, and the goal of all these trainings was to place emphasis on the family. We have children here from the age of six upwards, but we also support children as young as three until they start school. We aimed to round out our services, so that we can also help parents at the earliest stages, when families still feel lost, when they are facing different diagnoses of their children, and when they don’t know where to turn. Pirot is a small community, and we need these services and additional support for entire families”, explains Vesna Stankovic, Day Care Centre Coordinator.

With many years of experience as a personal assistant and educator at a special school, Vesna knows that support is needed for everyone in the chain of raising a child with developmental disabilities.

“The Day Care Centre is not just a place where we provide support for children with developmental disabilities - I would say it is a place for strengthening entire families. It is very important that professionals continuously attend trainings organized to strengthen their capacities. That way, they can pass their knowledge not only to children but also to parents. An empowered parent is stable and ready to help their child with developmental disabilities by giving them what they need most - love and healthy development”, says Vesna.

Andjela’s mother Andrijana says she is happy because she can see the progress her child is making. And she, along with other parents, has someone who understands and supports them.

“We feel stronger, and less lonely, because we can share our problems with someone, to be heard, to be supported, and to feel like part of a community”, concludes Andrijana.

Author: Ivana Miljković