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Description
The project aims to increase access to social services for vulnerable groups from disadvantaged communities in Bihor County (Cheț Village from Marghita Municipality and Finiș Commune),and increase their level of satisfaction with the quality of services.
The beneficiaries of the project are 80 elderly people and 200 disadvantaged families (these are made up of 150 children aged between 6 and 11 years, 140 young people aged between 15 and 24, including young people who do not follow any educational or vocational training program and are unemployed / inactive, 115 parents / grandparents, especially Roma). A Community Resource and Assistance Center will provide the following services:
- services for the elderly (persons over 65) - socio-medical services, home care and hot meals;
- services for children - after school, hot meal, group themed extracurricular activities, excursions etc.;
- services for parents / grandparents - parental education services, information, counseling;
- services for young people and unemployed people - information and professional counseling services for jobseekers, skills assessment services acquired informally and non-formally visits to factories, factories / companies / trade fairs jobs.
Summary of project results
The project was implemented in two rural communities in Bihor County: Cheț (in fact, a completely segregated neighborhood of the Municipality of Marghita) and Finiș. In the general context of Romania, where social, health, and educational systems face major challenges, and residents of rural areas and some small towns do not have access to social services, the problems and needs of vulnerable groups identified in Cheț and Finiș are similar to those at the national level. According to the Bihor County Development Strategy, there is a gap between Oradea and towns with high levels of poverty, which must be addressed responsibly by local public authorities. According to official data from 2011, Finiș Commune had 3,680 residents, and the Municipality of Marghita had 15,770 people, of which 1,246 lived in Cheț. The residents of Cheț are in a vulnerable of its isolation from the city of Marghita itself and therefore long-term services were needed.
Through the project, a package of social services was offered to vulnerable people in the two target communities, and a new intervention model and best practices were developed through restorative practices. This type of intervention involves improving and repairing relationships between people and communities. The goal of the model is to build healthy communities, increase social capital, reduce crime and antisocial behavior, repair damage, and restore relationships, which would significantly contribute to increasing disadvantaged groups'' access to social services, as well as enhancing their satisfaction with the quality of services they receive within the community. This intervention model is a cross-cutting one that will be used in all activities within the project and generally in the daily activities of the participating entities, depending on real situations. Restorative practices (PR) involve participatory methods to engage beneficiaries and staff from public administration and service providers, which is useful for the professionalization and motivation of participants. This activity significantly contributes to reducing discrimination, integrating vulnerable groups, and respecting the principle of desegregation.
The support package for vulnerable families included providing parental education services, afterschool programs, employment services, and socio-medical services. Another target group was elderly people, who benefited from social and educational services in the two day centers, home care services, as well as a hot meal.
The main result of the project was the creation of high-quality and sustainable multidisciplinary services at the level of the 2 intervention communities. During the implementation of the project, new intervention models (restorative practices) were successfully tested, which will ensure the sustainability of the intervention in the future. The cooperation between public authorities and civil society proved to be important and successful, and it is likely to contribute to the long-term viability of the services.
Summary of bilateral results
The project was developed together with a partner from Norway to raise the standards of the delivered social services during the implementation phase on one hand, and to share experience regarding social integration, substance abuse prevention, and the building of public-private partnerships, from which Romanian partners could learn best practices and new, more efficient methods to address the needs of the target groups. The Norwegian partner was involved right from the preparation phase of the project.Throughout the project’s implementation, the Norwegian partner was continuously involved in specific activities. They provided know-how to the implementation team, contributed to the organizational development component, and participated in experience exchanges and public events related to the project.