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Description
The aim of the project is to increase the effectiveness of domestic violence prevention and the protection of its victims in the Świętokrzyskie province. The challenges that the project addresses are: insufficient knowledge of methods, tools and ways of working with families involved in domestic violence among people and entities who are working with such families, as well as the unused potential of NGOs and their low participation in the work of interdisciplinary teams. Domestic violence is a serious social problem in over 60% of the localities in Świętokrzyskie province that we have examined. More than 45% of the victims of violence are women, and almost 40% of people do not react to the manifestations of aggression that they witness. Świętokrzyskie province takes the first place in the country in terms of the number of people suspected of committing violence in the family under the influence of alcohol. The psychological and therapeutic programme in the region is currently implemented only by 3 local governments. Our project is addressed to interdisciplinary teams and working groups for counteracting family violence, the NGOs that encounter violent actions against their charges, decision-makers, local government officials, and families involved in violence. As part of the project, we will organize 2 conferences, 12 meetings, 3 series of specialized trainings (400 hours in total) for 45 participants, including 10 persons from NGOs. We will develop educational packages based on materials of the ‘Blue Line’ programme - they will be distributed to 102 communes and 50 NGOs. We will implement a pilot activation and support programme for 5 families involved in domestic violence, which will become a new method of working in our foundation. As part of the foundation''s capacity building we will purchase furniture, develop a fundraising strategy and develop educational packages for staff. The activities planned in the project will involve min. 500 people.
Summary of project results
The project evaluation showed that the project was very necessary - especially in the context of meeting the previously identified needs, i.e.:
- insufficient knowledge of society, in particular regarding the support system for families affected by violence;
- increasing the availability of free consultations of consultants and specialists trained under the project;
- training support to increase the knowledge and improve work tools of people working with people experiencing violence;
- intensifying assistance activities of non-governmental organizations for groups covered by the "Blue Cards" procedure
Support was provided to 8 families covered by the "Blue Cards" procedure, developing and implementing an innovative activation and support model,
- 14 information and promotional meetings and 2 conferences promoting the project were held,
- 45 people improved their qualifications through specialist training at the basic level (2 editions of 120 hours each) and advanced level (160 hours). 9 people completed training at both levels,
- a Świętokrzyskie database of consultants and specialists for counteracting domestic violence was created,
- educational packages were distributed in the voivodeship to 102 communes; 50 educational packages for NGOs, institutions and entities operating in the field of violence; personalized materials containing contact details of aid institutions from the voivodeship and nationwide institutions.
- institutional support: a series of development sessions for the management board; development workshops and specialist training for a total of 13 people; study visit to Prague,
- developed a project evaluation report,
- two groups were created on FB related to the project: ''So come - paint OUR world'' and ''Domestic violence - stay on topic''.
The direct recipients of the activities were 555 people.
These were participants of trainings, information meetings, conferences, training sessions, recipients of educational materials, trainers during trainings, speakers during conferences, volunteers, Foundation employees involved in the implementation of institutional activities, specialists involved in developing strategies, reports and development sessions. A significant part of these people are women of working age, mainly residents of larger cities and towns, employees of local government units, municipal, district and voivodeship levels.
We have established close cooperation with 4 non-governmental organizations, several Interdisciplinary Teams and the Specialized Support Center for Victims of Domestic Violence in Kielce, and the Social Services Center in Górno and Starachowice.
19 people from 8 families covered by the "Blue Cards" procedure used new forms of support, i.e. a developed and implemented model of working with families covered by the "Blue Cards" procedure. 2 families isolated themselves from the perpetrators, found an apartment, we helped 8 families get back on their feet, which had been traumatized by violence for several years, where the perpetrator had ruined the psyche of not only his wife, partner, but also his children.
The project also contributed to the institutional support of the applicant. Thanks to workshops, development sessions, a study visit to Prague and completed specialist training, the PEStka Foundation has improved its work skills, developed plans for the future and strengthened its staff to perform management functions. Gaining allies to implement the activities resulted in a permanent cooperation agreement with the organization running Crime Victims Assistance Centers in the voivodeship. The project significantly opened up space for the development of the organization, including fundraising activities.