Description
The project’s aim is to develop innovative working methods in several municipalities of Latvia to reduce anti-social behavior in children. Project activities will involve working with parents and children in various municipalities, setting up municipal work groups to ensure information exchange among the appropriate authorities and organizations while regularly reviewing topical problems, developing solutions and ensuring inter-institutional co-ordination. The activities will increase the specialists’ professionalism and identify the most successful foreign practices. The project will promote a philosophy of change for working with children and families, form a child-friendly and inclusive community, and develop a multidisciplinary collaboration model, a methodology for early identification of a child’s social behavior risks, a failure prevention instrument for improving work quality, and a monitoring report. The target group includes children subjected to social exclusion risk and their families.
Summary of project results
Antisocial behaviour is a consequence of ignoring child’s needs in his/her early childhood. The objective of the project therefore was to develop innovative methods for social work in regions of Latvia to reduce risks that cause antisocial behaviour in children while also creating inclusive and supportive environment for children’s successful development. The target group included 48 families with children that are exposed to risks of social exclusion – throughout the duration of the project both children and their parents were involved in various activities. The project was carried out in Kuldīga, Saldus and Cēsis, while also learning from the experience in Bulgaria and other EU countries (namely, Lithuania, Estonia, Belgium and Norway). Project was divided in several mutually complimentary activities, namely, a) work with children and their parents in regions of Latvia; b) establishment of work groups in regions with an objective to provide intensive exchange of information among the responsible institutions and organizations while also ensuring a regular review of ongoing problems, finding solutions and setting up an inter-institutional coordination; c) increasing the professionalism of specialists; d) identification of the best practices from abroad. Each regional partner in Latvia – association “Mazās pēdas”, foundation “Bērnu attīstības centrs Saulīte” and foundation “”Mamma mammai fonds”, were involved in most of the activities. They launched the project in their respective regions, organized and carried out the work with parents and children, established and managed regular meetings of inter-institutional working groups. Regional partners also actively contributed to publicity activities, they participated in colleagues’ consultations while also being involved in preparation of Monitoring Report and in cooperation with colleagues from abroad. Partners from Bulgaria, Animus Association, contributed to both conferences that were held within the project, they also prepared a report on best practices from Bulgaria. Cooperation that started within the project continues outside its scope, too – several joint project proposals have been submitted to the European Commission.
Summary of bilateral results