Integrated services to prevent early school leaving in Võru county

Project facts

Project promoter:
Võrumaa Association of Local Authorities(EE)
Project Number:
EE-LOCALDEV-0042
Status:
Completed
Final project cost:
€370,527
Other Project Partners
Antsla municipal government(EE)
Education and Youth Board(EE)
Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund(EE)
Ms Eygló Rúnarsdóttir
University of Iceland(IS)
Rõuge municipal government(EE)
Setomaa municipal government(EE)
Tallinn University(EE)
University of Tartu(EE)
Võru city government(EE)
Võru municipal government(EE)

Description

The project objective is to increase local governments’ capacity to prevent early school leaving among Võru County’s students through innovative support service system models. The models are based on the specifics of local governments, the possibility of digital solutions and the need for county and sectoral cooperation to ensure more effective support. The project’s starting point is to make changes in the provision of support services on an evidence-based basis, taking into account local specificities and student needs as well as valuing openness and involvement.

The project activities will result in creating and piloting service models with intervention plans to increase the availability and substantive efficiency of services. The design process of service models will be carried out with various counterparts (local government education specialists, social work, youth work, health promotion, decision-makers, representatives of parents, mental health offices, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and students). Also, a training programme will be compiled and implemented as well as methodological seminars will be carried out to identify the need for assistance, implement inclusion and implement effective interventions.

Summary of project results

The project objective was to increase local governments’ capacity to prevent early school leaving among Võru County’s students through innovative support service system models. The models had to be based on the specifics of local governments, the possibility of digital solutions and the need for county and sectoral cooperation to ensure more effective support. The project’s starting point was to make changes in the provision of support services on an evidence-based basis, taking into account local specificities and student needs as well as valuing openness and involvement.

The project developed 5 different cooperation service models with intervention plans to increase the availability and substantive efficiency of services: 
- 3 local government oriented models with a) case manager focus, b) networking manager focus and c) regional two-level coordination focus;

- Võru county level integrated service model

- digital model www.loim.ee supporting as well as local government approach as well as county level approach. 

 

The project trained altogether 89 specialists from Võru city and from Setomaa, Antsla, Rõuge and Võru municipalities. The educational support service models were piloted with 10 children from each local government mounting to 50 children in total (26 boys and 24 girls). 

5 different cooperation service models are in use. There is a county-level wholesome and coordinated strategy to support the specialists networking in order to prevent children from dropping out of school. 

Võrumaa Development Centre has empoyed a welfare specialist dealing with educational institutions. For targeting parents, as a part of Võru county welfare profile development process, there will be parenting trainings for parents and specialist dealing with youth and families. 

Partners like Võru Gymnasium, Unemployment Fund and Võrumaa Education and Technology Centre have been engaged in different awareness raising activities. Welfare Network of Children and Youth has been integrated into the county level service model activities. 

The project has already a spin-off project LÕIM2 in progress.  

Information on the projects funded by the EEA and Norway Grants is provided by the Programme and Fund Operators in the Beneficiary States, who are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of this information.