What does this social service do:
The Day Care Center for Children with Disabilities provides a set of services to promote children’s development, ensure comprehensive care for them during the day, meet their learning needs, provide motor and speech therapy, organize their free time, among others.
The work of the Day Care Center is targeted at:
- Children aged from 3 to 18 years certified by an Expert Medical Committee as having:
- Mild to moderate mental retardation;
- Sensory or motor disorders;
- Psychological and behavioral problems or developmental disorders;
- Children aged from 3 to 18 years having temporary or permanent health problems who have not been certified by an Expert Medical Committee.
Services are delivered by a multidisciplinary team comprised of:
- specialized pedagogue;
- psychologist;
- rehabilitation therapist;
- healthcare practitioner;
- speech therapist;
- supervisor;
- help-educator.
Services are designed to best meet the needs and wishes of children and adolescents in order to ensure their well-being.
Services are mostly bundled in several programs:
- Full day or half day care for children with disabilities providing the following services:
- meeting daily needs;
- accompaniment in the individual or group learning process;
- development of various habits and life skills, such as maintaining personal hygiene and grooming, independent eating skills, hygiene of clothing and personal space, independent housekeeping skills, space orientation and moving in the street, shopping skills;
- Psychological diagnostics, counselling and assessing the child’s resources and the support needs of the parents and family;
- Rehabilitation:
- Motor therapy: The purpose is to protect the motor system, reduce and/or compensate for the disease and impaired functioning of the motor system and related organs and regulatory systems, as well as later limitations and/or challenges. Different methods are used: massage, exercise and procedures;
- Speech therapy: It includes diagnostics, prevention, correction, remedial therapy and counselling in the field of speech and language disorders.
- Acquisition of social skills and inclusion activities: such as communication and group work skills, using one’s free time, recreational activities , expanding one’s horizons, “discovery” through different group workshops inside or outside the Day Care Center, trips, visits to various institutions and public spaces (for the purpose of acquiring skills to behave oneself in public, get to know traditions and holidays) contributing to better social integration;
- Art therapy and occupational therapy.
- Hourly Specialized Services Program: It includes services provided by a psychologist, speech therapist, pedagogue, rehabilitation therapist.
- Program for Parents:
- Awareness about the specific characteristics of the condition their child suffers from and about services in the community designed to support the child and the family, among others;
- Counseling designed to improve childcare and, if necessary, referral to specialists outside the Day Care Center who may be useful to the family and the child;
- Training programs for parents designed to strengthen their parenting capacity, improve care for the disabled child; raise the awareness about the specific characteristics of the condition their child suffers from, among others;
- Organizing and carrying out self-help group sessions.
How to get access to the services:
Children and adolescents with disabilities can have access to the services of the Center based on referral issued by the Child Protection Department of the Social Assistance Directorate at the local municipality and after signing a contract with the service provider for the delivery of the requested service.
