Workshop 2 Good Practice - Municipality of Strovolos

SOCIAL POLICIES FOR
CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING:
THE CASE OF
STROVOLOS MUNICIPALITY
FILOXENIA CONFERENCE CENTRE
18 OCTOBER 2012
SOCIAL POLICY AND WELFARE
The Municipality of Strovolos has been
playing a pioneer role in social services
in Cyprus since 1993,
with the establishment of
STROVOLOS’ MUNICIPAL
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL FOUNDATION
A foundation responsible for the
development and implementation of
social policy in the area of Strovolos.
The Municipal Council, in order to identify and
implement any kind of social policy measures,
applies the following principles of decision
making process:
1. Collection and analysis of data so as to specify
the actual needs of Strovolos’ citizens.
2. Submission of relevant suggestions/proposals to
actual needs.
3. Brainstorming of ideas/suggestions/proposals at
the Social Welfare Committee which is consisted
of Municipal Counselors.
SOCIAL POLICY AND WELFARE
The economic contribution of Municipality,
State and beneficiaries of services is as
follows:
approximately 50%, 20%, 30% respectively.
The Municipality has created a social network
and cooperates with state, private and
voluntary sector services, which have the
same or similar objectives and aspirations in
the field of social policy.
Main priority within
the policy agenda of
Strovolos’ Municipal Council
The prevention and overcoming of
Child Poverty and Social Exclusion,
by developing for children:
Quality services and
Opportunities for their well-being.
STROVOLOS’ MUNICIPAL
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL FOUNDATION
1. DAILY CENTERS FOR THE PROTECTION
AND RECREATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL
CHILDREN
2. TRAINING PROGRAM
“PARENTS – CHILDREN, EDUCATION AND
RELATIONSHIPS”
3. CHILDREN’S SUMMER CAMP
4. “OPEN SCHOOL”: ADULTS’ AND CHILDREN’S
ACTIVITY CENTERS
5. SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK
DAILY CENTERS
FOR THE PROTECTION AND RECREATION
OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN
The aim of this service is to facilitate working
with family life of both parents, by offering
services to primary school children after finish
school at 1:05 p.m. until 6:00 o’ clock in the
afternoon.
CENTERS’ OPERATION
The Centers are situated at primary school
buildings.
The persons responsible for the Centers are
Kindergarten Teachers, Psychologists and Social
Workers.
When children finish school, they are offered lunch,
then they do their homework, and subsequently a
series of activities are organized.
During school holidays, the Centers open early
in the morning, from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.
During summer holidays, the Foundation
operates a Center for disable primary school
children, on the same philosophy as all the other
Centers.
 Parents pay fees for this service
(€85,00 monthly per child).
The Cyprus Social Welfare Services contribute
economically to the participation of children at
the Centers, when their parents can not afford it
and are eligible for, based on the Cyprus Law.
TRAINING PROGRAM
“PARENTS – CHILDREN,
EDUCATION AND RELATIONSHIPS”
a) Offer parents as much knowledge as possible
regarding the upbringing of their children
through a forum of specialists, such as,
psychologists, social workers, teachers,
doctors, and other experts.
b) Educate parents in the use of more effective
methods of growing up their children, as well
as ways of handling them in daily matters, so
as to create mature, happy, responsible and
independent individuals.
c) Help them to solve their family problems more
effectively.
d) Sensitise parents on the main problems that
adolescences face.
Regarding the structure of the programme
The programme is separated in two units.
The first one concerns the presentation of 11
subjects related with infantile and school age.
For example:
Development and growth of child
The modern family
Violence in the family
Sexual education
Usual medical problems in the infantile and
school age
The second one concerns the development of 11
subjects related with preadolescent, adolescent
and family in general.
For example:
Teenager: Challenge or Crisis?
Illegal substances
Bulling
Anxieties in the adolescent age
 At the end of each unit, a certificate is given to
those parents who attend the 80% of the
program.
CHILDREN’S SUMMER CAMP
In 2010, the Municipality created a camp
for primary school children
in a village on the mountains of Cyprus.
The capacity of the building is for 40 children
aged 9 -11.
In the summer of 2012, five periods had been
organized and 200 children took part.
During their stay at the camp, the children have the
opportunity to do the following activities:
excursions, group games, athletics, music nights,
preventive discussions on themes of general
interest.
“OPEN SCHOOL”:
ADULTS’ AND CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY CENTERS
The Ministry of Education and Culture funds a
program called “Open School”, which provides
general adult and child education, within the
lifelong learning context.
The program offers a wide range of courses that
aim:
- towards the holistic development of each
individual’s personality and
- giving both adults and children the opportunity
to take part in a series of educational and
creative activities, at a very low tuition fee.
Lessons for children are held in the afternoon,
at 6 primary schools.
Lessons are organized by qualified teachers.
Offered activities/subjects for children: hip hop,
traditional and Latin dancing, mathematics and
science, rhythmic gymnastics and for girls with
disabilities, music, learning guitar, drawing,
handicraft, archery, tae kwon Do, tennis at the
Municipal Athletic Center, computer,
handmade jewelry, music, football academy.
During 2011-2012 school year,
400 children attended classes
Under the protection of the Centre,
the following new programmes
are introduced this year:
–
–
–
Organisation of one day excursion for 1000 elderly
people habitants of Strovolos free of charge (visit
places and offer lunch).
Organisation of five-day-holidays for 130 elderly
habitants of Strovolos funded by the Municipality
based on criteria.
Organisation of camping for around 60 children
aged 10 – 11 habitants of Strovolos in the
mountains in a place prepared especially for that
purpose.
SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK
The professional Social Worker cooperates
with:
• Students and their families so as to help
them to overcome any social problems they
face, through counselling.
• The Director and high school teachers for
solving any problems regarding their school
life.
RESEARCH
“Which are the pressures that
families with children feel
in their family and social environment,
and proposed measures to tackle them”
The research is co-funded by
the Republic of Cyprus and
the European Regional Development Fund
The partners of the research are:
 Municipality of Strovolos
 Strovolos’ Municipal Multi-functional Foundation
 The Research Center of European University
of Cyprus
 European University of Cyprus
 Cyprus Association of Social Workers
Our belief is that through the understanding of
reasons (social, family, psychological, etc.) that
causes pressures on the family system,
we can safely promote preventive policies and
tackle, at the same time, these obstacles.
Based on the results of the research,
new supportive services for families with
children will be developed.
Fulfilling this project in two years,
the Municipality of Strovolos will obtain a new
policy tool, on the basis of which can invest in
more high quality services for the well-being of
children/citizens of Strovolos.