5th Mobility to Bulgaria
Sofia / 10th of april – 13th of april 2013
Professional Assessment
Centre for the treatment of childhood communicative behavioural disorders in Sofia, BulgariaThe Centre is a partner institution of the “New University of Bulgaria” in Sofia. The University trains Social workers, Psychologists and Speech-therapists.
The University and the NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation), support the Centre. It is financed by the University, the NGO and by contributions from the parents (10 Euro per hour). The NGO is a non-profit Organisation, and is run on the donations that is receives. This kind of institution is unique in Bulgaria.
There are 3 Therapists, 2 Psychologists and 1 Speech-therapist who are employed by the centre. Some of the University students are able to do their work placements directly in the institution.
The children are cared for in two different age groups; 2.5 years to 6 years and 6 to 12 years – each group containing 5 children. The groups get together twice a week for 3 hours and lessons are held in the mornings an in the afternoon. The children are brought to the Centre by their parents and during this time they are free from the school and nursery responsibilities. In addition to these group hours, the children are supported separately by a Psychologist each day for 15 minutes. The total duration of the therapy for each child takes from a half a year and can last for many years.
The broad spectrum of disadvantages range from behavioural disorders, to hyperactivity, autism, and mental disability. The parents come to the Centre on the recommendation of Doctors, Schools and Nurseries. On many occasions, the parents will make long journeys within Bulgaria in order to take a weeks course of therapy with their child.
Admission to the Centre is only allowed after an introductory meeting in the institution has taken place. The decision on which child should be accepted is met by the members of the Centre itself, and is made on the basis of in medical and psychological opinion.
The offices of the Centre are to be found in the groups of the University. There is a group therapy and a single therapy room, alongside administration offices. The accommodation is filled with the usual furnishings and materials, including tables, chairs, carpets, playhouses and some play related items. The rooms are all on one level and can be accessed using a wheelchair.
The goal of the pedagogical work is to strengthen the social and emotional behaviour of the children. It is most important that teamwork exists between the parents and the teachers. The team will visit the child at home in his or her own environment. During the year, different seminars are offered to parents and teachers, for example, baby courses. In the summer, team camps are organised for the children and their parents; even teachers can take part if required.
Once a week, the teams meet to exchance their expertise and their know-how. Once a month, external experts are also brought in, for example Psychotherapists, to support and accompany the employees in the Centre.
The Centre is linked closely with the University, Schools, Nurseries and Doctors in Sofia, and in the surrounding Region.
Most of the Social institutions in Bulgaria are privately financed, often through Foreign Organisations. The state itself do not operate social centers like these of any kind.
Sofia „Child and Space”
In the organisation „Child and Space” there is a group of eight children exclusively with mental and motor disabilities who are 24 hours under the care of a psychologist, a teacher, the head of the centre and an assistant.The 3-18-year-old children with severe motor disabilities were previously in a large group where almost all children are in state custody. They all live in the house.
The building is barrier-free in respect of lift, corridors, handrails, ramps and stairs; however it has no self-opening doors. Bedrooms are allocated in the first floor. The living area, comprising a large living room and a small kitchen, is in the third floor.
Children have free access to the toys in the living room.
Financially the institute is supported by a non-profit association (a limited liability company operating as a public utility), UNICEF and the government and is located near the centre of Sofia.Inclusion does not take place there. Decision makers are the state and the head of the centre; there is no further surveillance of children’s progress once they have left the institute.
The whole staff is characterised by a patient, calm, persistent and positive attitude.
Sofia Municipal Day Care Centre for Social Rehabilitation of the Disabled
The Sofia Municipal Day Care Centre has places for 90 paediatric and 150 adult patients who are under the care of 2 psychologists, 2 speech therapists, 2 social workers, 1 art therapist, 1 physician, 1 movement therapist and 3 physiotherapists (all of them holding a Master’s degree). Moreover they have 4 rehabilitation staff.Children are admitted over an initial discussion with a social worker, to whom medical records had previously been presented. Parents are advised as to which treatment would be good for their child. An initial assessment is carried out by a physician at the Medi Centre whereupon the goals of treatment are defined by the team. In the subsequent treatment process the team continuously produces progress reports.
Decision makers are always the physician and the social worker; there is no further surveillance of patients’ progress once they have left the day care centre.
Supporter of the centre is the national government.
The institute is located near the centre of Sofia directly at the bus stop, however, the bus has no ramp and thereby it is not wheelchair accessible.
The institute building has a lift, wide doors and corridors, handrails and ramps and is barrier-free except that the doors are not self-opening.
Every therapist, physician and the speech therapist have their own room. The team is responsive to patients’ needs and all members of the staff are characterised by expertise, patience and a persistent, motivating, structured and positive attitude.
Visit to the Secondary School in Sofia, Bulgaria
There are 1000 children and adolescents who are taught in the school ranging from the ages of 6 to 18 years. The school has 83 teachers, of which 5 are specialist teachers, 2 speech therapists and 3 psychologists.The broad age difference of the children not only makes the school unique, but also creates difficulties due to the different needs and learning skills that are required to cater for them.
The children are able to complete their schooling here and the parents are willing to decide on changing to a different school at any time between the school years. This decision is often made based on the main focus of the school itself, or on the subject diversity, and of course the interests of the children.
It is the first school in Bulgaria that includes children with special needs. In total, 36 children with these needs visit the school.
The age distribution in the school is shown below:
Breakdown of age groups: Children with special needs:
Kiga - Pre school group (6- years) 1 child
Primary level (classes 1 to 4) 12 children
Secondary level (classes 5 to 8) 16 children
High school level (classes 9 to 12 ) 7 children
The key (children to specialist teachers) sum 5 children: 1 teacher, often looks different in reality: 10 - 12 children / 1 teacher. Most classes consist of 26 children for which one teacher is responsible.
Children with the following special needs are taken at the school:
Mentally handicapped (partially) and autistic, and children with emotional and learning difficulties.
Those not included:
Children with severe handicap, disorientation and some who are mentally disabled.
There are currently no children at the school who are wheelchair bound. However, the ground floor of the school caters for disabled children with wheelchairs (e.g. ramps) but there is no lift, so only the ground floor is accessible for disabled children. The ramps were installed about 3 years ago (in ca. 2009).
An expert team meet regularly and includes psychologists and external specialists.
The integration of parents is of core relevance, and psychologists help to advise and support teachers in this cooperation. At the same time, teachers try to incorporate parents in their work and build up a trusting relationship. This can be made difficult by children who are living in youth institutions who do not have a family relationship and thus have a deficit on the emotional side (loving care and family security) which cannot be substituted by a carer in a home.
In support, the school has set up a parental committee and at least one of the parents in this group has a special needs child.
The psychologists are also required to test the children's concentration, language and IQ.
Some children with special needs only require very little support and help and can learn from, and with, the class group. Children who require a lot of help have a school escort or social assistant.
Since the year 2002, there has been a legal change in the laws in Bulgaria that means disabled children should have the right to visit the same school as normal children. Special needs schools and institutions should be closed in order to offer the same rights to disabled children as to normal children. This, however, will be a long journey, as the social and political recognition is still missing.
Standards remain to be achieved, but there are no guidelines on how to cater for children with special needs; not even from the viewpoint of the government.
In every region there is a "Resource Centre" from which qualified persons go in to support the schools. There is a project in which these qualified persons, together with teachers and psychologists from the schools, are working on new standards and laws.
At the same time, individual timetables and tests are being developed that will be orientated on the development status of the children, in order to reduce frustration.
The teachers request better qualifications, training and supervision, in order to help children with special needs and integrate them in the classes.
School philosophy: "You are not alone"
Hospitation / LectureIn Sofia, we had the opportunity to visit the Art course for the children from the second class. In this class, two children with learning difficulties were being tutored with the other children. In practice, it could be seen that the school is at the very beginning of this sort of learning process and that more development is required. The integration of children with special needs and their rehabilitation in to the class community depends a lot on the teachers themselves. The success or failure of this exercise depends very much on the individual teaching staff.
In the end, there must be a change of attitude taken towards less advantaged children within the community, in order to fully reach this inclusion.
Created by
German Partner, FortSchritt gGmbH
Association „Child and Space”
– Small group care home In the second day we visited the Child and Space non profit association. This building was made with Unicef help and it is working from 2010 and give home for 8 the children who needs special educations. There are children in age 3 for 18 and they live there like a family. Here live orfans who have mantal and phisical disability. The association try to find the way to connect with the parents, but unfortunetly there are just 2 children who are visited by parents regulary.. The educators and therapists work 8 hour/day and they got individual relationship with the children.The children who live here need everduring care and they can liv just with the help of the assiciation. They need cares laki: change the diaper, feeding etc.
Because in Bulgaria the children who needs special educations did not got early developing, the children who live int he association got there the development. There are specialist, teachers who are coming from a school,they did not teach the children to write or read, they teach the children to how can they use theyre body, how can they move , how can they speak or communicate with each others. The teachers work there just to Monday to Friday and they use developments what they discover. Because of the grade of the disability the teachers must work with one child at the proper time, unfortunetly there are’nt sufficient worker so there are volunteers who are helping. A young medical specialist go there and make rehabilitaion trainings.
The programs are easy but very time-consuming. They woke up ath 10 o’clock at the morning , had breakfast , after that they go to the living room and start the developing programs.Sometime a teacher work with 2 children but a volunter is helping. The time of a training is maximum a half hour. The teachers work just 2 hour int he association. In 12 are the lunch, after than if the weather let it they go for ashort walk int he garden of the building what is little and uncared. After the walk the team are together and come a little rest
Int he afternoon the medical student make short personal developments, what is depend about the age and the demand of the child.
At 7 at evening is starting the evening programs: the bath, feeding and the sleeping.
The integration is minimaly, they go out just sometime and they are’nt out long time.There are some children who can not stay on the hand-cart. Unfortunetly the association did not have to much worker who can take care of these children
The workshop is mostly imppssible because of the grade of the disability.
The image of the future, the way for the integration are very darksome and deep, they don’t know what will happen after they will be 18, where they will live, unfortunetly there aren’t little place for adult people who has disability just big places. Now there are conversation about these problems.In this place the grade of the disibility is very high so it is impossible to find job for them. In Bulgaria the chance for the integration is higher int he towns like in Sofia.
In the hospitals, after the birth the doctor approve for the parents witch associations can they choose for the children who needs special educations get state nursing, and unfortunetly they can not get the early developing. Those who have the chance to get a familiar association the workers chek up all the things of the children and and give him/her development programs.
Now they work in a programlike the children who needs special educations can live with and raise with theyre parents, but go every day to the association for developing programs.
The approach of the doctors slowly changing, after the birth the mothers get 2 years liberty and every month they get a salary too.
The institutions who give special cares are parts of the Health Care Ministry. Now they try to make a new order with the help of Child Law Protection and with the Education Ministry. They try to make little familiar places and get over of the big institutions.
Int he association „Child and Space” unfortunatly they have financial problems too. The government advocacy is very low and for this they try to find sponsors in Bulgaria and outside of Bulgaria too.Unfortunatly the numbers who are helping is very low too.
Bulgaria is working hard to can get a new strategy for the problem of the children and adults who need special cares, try to find a solution for this, raise specialists and give trainings for the people who want to work in these association. Try to find solution for the integration and inclusion with the collective work of the people.
Demeter Eva
AS.Casa Laura – Laura Ház Frédéric Joliot-Curie Sechondary school In our visitation in Bulgaria we visited the Frédéric Joliot-Curie state school in Sofia which is one of the schools where they accept the children who needs special help. In this school a thousand kids are learning, in every class we can find 26 child, in age 6 to age 18. In these kids just 36 need special education.
In preliminary classes is just one child,who need special education, in the elementary classes they are 12, in the high school they are 16 and the lyceum they are 7, who needs special education. The number of the teachers who work in this school is 83 person, 5 of these teachers are assistant teachers: 2 teacher of clinical speachand 3 psychologist. In Bulgaria there isn’t classes just for children who needs special education, they learn with normal kids. All of the classes is working with one teacher, independently how many kids are there who needs special education. In the institution they keep count of: phizicaly-, emotionally-,mentaly-, visual- disability, and children who have problem with learning, and children who have autistical symptom. The school accept cheerfully the children who have disability the sent just the children who have grave disability to the Daycare center which is in Bulgaria a part of the Health Care. The institutions financial things come from the government, they try to make the conditions for inclusion with their possibilities. Above all we can say that in Bulgaria the accepting of the people who have disability are in very elementary form. The room where working with the personal development we can not find to good conditions. Some places in the building can not achiev for those who have phizical disability, the ways on the building isn’t clear. The parents of the children who learn here creat a parent commission, there is a parent in this group who is the parent of a child who has disability. The commission of the parents try to find solutions for the problems and not at least try to teach the normal kid show to accept those who has disability. The school has a classrom for optional activity, which can use after school time. Unfortunatly in Bulgaria thanks for political fighting no one make rules for educations. But in this school the teachers know that for the highest inclusion it is necesarry the cohesion, the solidarity and the efficient work like theyre motto said: „You are not alone” Deák Izolda and Cristian Blanka AS.Casa Laura – Laura Ház Baraolt
Kindergarten N55. „Veselina”
Today when we put a very big accent for integrate breeding and for inclusion in many places people try to go before every type of exclusion.In Bulgaria we discover that this thing is very elementary form in this country. They did not give to many attention for the education of children, who have special needs. The rules of the special educating in the country and the parents needing level is very low, very backward.
In our visitaion I can know the N55. „Veselina” day nursery, where are learning 320 children who are 3-7 years old. Every child learn in the group of her/his age. Int he nursery it is working 10 groups.In every group we can find maxim 30 kids and just 1 kindergartner and 1 helper. And between the kids are just 2 who need special cares. Both kids have psycho- motorical problems and one of the kids has problem with the communication too.
In Bulgaria we can not find just special nursery or just special groups. Most of the time the parents lett he children at home, maybe because thez think that the accomodation won’t be successful and they do not give chance for the chance equality.
The nursery accept the children who has special needs, they send just the children who are very high disability to the dayli disability center, which is a part of the health care consulation in Bulgaria.
The number of the workers int he nursery is 25, one of the worker is psychologist and one of them is logopedian. The children have chance to try one time in a week with their own choice the swimming, the music or the dance (modern, folk), football or the karate.
The institution with their opportunity try to make conditions what is need for an efficient education. They teach the children who have special needs for they growth level and try to prepare them for the school, because after 2000 the integration is working int he schools. In this nursery we can find too the school prepare group, where the children can learn mathemathics, mesology, mother language knowlegments.
The nursery is working with government financing, for the teaching of the children every month the parents pay 30 Euro, witch is include the payments of the teaching, the feeding, the safeness, because in front of the building a guardener take care of the childrens safeness.
The institutions equipment is acceptable. The rooms are kindless, coloured, and it is separated, like the children have place where they can sleep and places where they can play and learn. The nursery has a big garden where the children can play with the control of the kindergartener. But the toys are not acceptable for the EU expectations.
In our visitain we get experience that the educators endors the integrate nursing just in a few kids who have special needs. We wa suprised, because for us it is very important that the normal kids can learn how to accept them, to give help, to can be tolerate, acceptable, but for this normal kids need to see and work with children who needs special cares from when they are just babys.
Deák Izolda
AS.Casa Laura - Laura Ház New Bulgarian University (NGO) Development therapy centre for children with autism
In our travel in Bulgaria I visited an university which give place for people,who need special education further give chance for personaly and group activities.
In Bulgaria we can not find classes just forchildren who needs special education,they learn with normal kids.Every day the children can be here just in a time period,the other parts of the day they are in the schools, nursery, or at home with theire family.
For because all these teaching is working under a nongovernal institution the parents must pay. One hour group activity cost 10 leva, and one hour personal activity costs 20 leva. The number of the children changebel,but also it is low. With the children who need special educations : minor-, mental disorder-, dixlexia-, hyperactive- work 2 psychologist, 1 teacher of clinical speachand and one voluntar.
The group activity is organized 2 times a week, and every group work with just 5 children. The personaly activity is just 15 minute in a week,and every child got one educator in this time. The activity time in a month is 16 hour, and in a year this time is 6 month. A time of a therapy can be 6 month but can be many years too. The activity rooms are very small and they don’t have good equipage. Deserve attention that every week they organize a meeting where they talk about the problems which need solution. Further in every month a psychologist make test and give the new reports for each person-how to develope easier and what they need.
In Bulgaria the commun of the parents are subdivide. There are parents who can not work easily with the workers. But at the same time it is necessary that the teachers and the parents can work together because the children need that special education.
In summer time they organize camps where the teachers,children and the parents attend too. Int he camp time the parents can also learn the methodes how to develope theire children at home too.
Cristian Blanka
AS. Casa Laura-Laura Haz
Baraolt
Association “Chid and Space” – Small group care home
Established in 2010, with the help of Médecins du Monde, Unicef, and other donations in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was the first center of its kind in Bulgaria. Funded partly by the government of Bulgaria, which is financing each children for the room and board, but not the nurses. Other funds must be raised by the organization.
The national context
The national context until 2000s was the following: children with special needs were grown up separated from their families, often under recommendation of doctors (children’s care in Bulgaria,
until their third year is a medical problem) in huge institutions, hidden from the eyes of the world, mostly forgotten by the society and even by their family. To change that situation Bulgaria had to wait until a big international scandal in the 90s, when a british journalist has made a service about these dishuman conditions, and after the things was becoming to change. Slowly, as we’ll see it. Anyway the huge institutions are existing also in our days, despite continuation of scandals.
Many children were introduced in those centers and institutionalized by carelessness of the doctors or by their misdiagnoses. Families were urged to leave their children also with minor problems or disabilities in that specific institutions, sometimes far away from their home.
Nowadays, although the legislative lacks, the policy is to close those big centers and put the children in small group care homes. The aim is that children would get into the small group care homes directly from families, not from the big institutions. Also if they have the same problems there is a difference between children according to the origin. In “Child and Space” we knew a ten years old girl who’s been left after her birth in a big institution and left for almost the whole time in a bed with bars and fed with liquids. The result was terrifying: she was unable to sit and for any communication. Although parents have no education of that kind, but certainly they would not treat their children like that. Today the aim of the Bulgarian specialist is to work together with families. But this is only a will for the future, due to the many lacks existing in the country (laws, mentality and money problems).
The problem is that in Bulgaria the legislative deficiencies about the treatment of small children by the institutions are existing the same way today. The chaotic political situation of the country of these times has prevented a vote on a proposed new law with respect to childhood.
The structure and the staff
This institution is situated in the suburb of Sofia, in a friendly context, not far from the center of the town. The building was remodeled nicely and equipped with lift before the opening and adapted for 8 children with strong disabilities (blindness, paralysis, and so on), from 9 to 18 years old. The rooms are for two persons, and at the roof there is a large and well equipped recreation room with an own kitchen, where the staff prepares meals, involving the children.
The nurses who take care to children for 24 hours a day, are without specific profession. That is not required by the institutions, by law.
The center has a director and a psychologist and external special teachers for the education and specialist from the University for rehabilitation cares.
We found that all the staff were really kind and devoted to the children and the institution was friendly and has a family atmosphere.
Activities and treatments
The nurses are working with children following an individual program, mostly developing consciousness of their own body, their own movements, to connect their minds to the body and vice versa.
We found interesting - an example of a reverse integration -, that one of the nurses who’s working in the institution, having a 5 years old son, without any other solution keeps his son with herself during the working hours: his child has no problem with playing with the other strongly disable mates.
Children also receive an education by special teachers for Monday till Friday until 2 p.m. (they are following a special individualised program for each child, elaborated together by nurses, psychologist, teachers and other specialist) and rehabilitative cares by University specialists.
Sometimes the institution organizes a kind of small holidays sending the children in other centers.
The institution has a small garden where they can spend spare times, and often they go out to the public garden, although the sidewalks in Sofia are dangerous not only for wheelchairs but able people, too.
Due to financing problems they do not have any other possibility to leave the institution.
PEGASO
Integration in the secondary school - meeting with school staff working with children with special educational needs 23th Secondary School Fréderic Coriot Julie motto: ” YOU ARE NOT ALONE!” In April 12, 2013 we have visitated the huge and bright structure of the 23th Secondary School Fréderic Coriot Julie. Some children of the institution were waiting for us with a little show: they have sung a couple of Bulgarian songs, seemingly happy and shining. The school was kindly presented for us by two of the psychologist and a sympathetic high school (from the same school, obviously) student who has spoken english. The School is situated nearby the center of the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. It’s a relatively new and huge building, built in the 70s. The original concept works today, too, the classrooms are bright, the building despite its age is modern and functional. It has a large courtyard, a theatre and also a small boardroom (with fantastic furniture from the 70s), where older students can gather and hear/play music, after school time. Anyway, it’s a well equipped institution for a thousand of students, from age 6 to 18, like many more worldwide. In every class there are 26 kids learning. The school has 83 teachers, 5 of them are special assistant teachers: 2 clinical speach and 3 psycholigist. They are working together for cohesion and solidarity between students. The institution has a parental commission, collaborating with the teachers’ commission. One of the skills of that commission is to find solutions for and to manage the problems of the integration and to find a way to make children with special needs and disabilities accepted by the community. Apparently they are working well, we have fund all the children calm and “normal”, without any exception. One of the members of the parental commission is the mother of a child with serious disabilities. This is helping the representation and the acceptance of the problems and rights of disabled mates. As we understood, Bulgaria has many legislative lacks, so normally it’s the director of the school to decide the school’s policy, to choose if take the opportunity or not, the direction toward the future of the institution. Normally, the children who has serious disabilities are accepted only in the Daycare centers, institutions of the Health Care and, as we’ll see, this is the case of School Fréderic Joliot Curie. In the case of 23th Secondary School Fréderic Joliot Curie, we have a really open minded director, who has decided to open the school to children with disabilities. In the whole school we can find 36 children like that.
In the preliminary classes there is only one integrated child with special disabilities, in the elementary classes 12, in the high school 16 and in the lyceum 7. The classes are working with only one teacher, in presence of children with disabilities or not, no matter if he/she was graduated for that: anyway there is no other assistant to give a hand. The kind of disabilities accepted are many: physical, mental, visual, emotional. Other kinds are learning problems and there are some children with autistic problems. Obviously, the institution does not accept children with serious disabilities, because of the lacks of the structure (architectural barriers) and possibly integratedable grades of children. The children with serious disabilities are sent to the Daycare center. By the other hand the school is trying everything to assist its children, with or without disabilities, even when financial problems are usual – like in many other institutions of the world. We could visit the psychologists’ room: it was decorated with many of drawings of the children, equipped with some toys, an old sofa, 2 desks. It mainly seemed a friendly but obsolete place. It was also isolated acoustically. We have visited also an other classroom where special teachers were working with children with special needs. We knew some of them (children), apparently happy and smiling, all were really pretty and kind, together with their teachers. The summary of our visit is that for the political, economical and above all the cultural situation of Bulgaria the 23th Secondary School Fréderic Coriot Julie is a surprisely open minded school, where children with special needs and disabilities can live together with “normal” children, in apparently peaceful way. It did not seem like a question. Integration and inclusion are working well, although the presence of many structural (architectural barriers) and legislative (there are no laws to give a frame to the educational system) lacks. Progetti Nonprofit Kft. Fekete Ádám
Association “Chid and Space” – Small group care home
Established in 2010, with the help of Médecins du Monde, Unicef, and other donations in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was the first center of its kind in Bulgaria. Funded partly by the government of Bulgaria, which is financing each children for the room and board, but not the nurses. Other funds must be raised by the organization.
The national context
The national context until 2000s was the following: children with special needs were grown up separated from their families, often under recommendation of doctors (children’s care in Bulgaria,
until their third year is a medical problem) in huge institutions, hidden from the eyes of the world, mostly forgotten by the society and even by their family. To change that situation Bulgaria had to wait until a big international scandal in the 90s, when a british journalist has made a service about these dishuman conditions, and after the things was becoming to change. Slowly, as we’ll see it. Anyway the huge institutions are existing also in our days, despite continuation of scandals.
Many children were introduced in those centers and institutionalized by carelessness of the doctors or by their misdiagnoses. Families were urged to leave their children also with minor problems or disabilities in that specific institutions, sometimes far away from their home.
Nowadays, although the legislative lacks, the policy is to close those big centers and put the children in small group care homes. The aim is that children would get into the small group care homes directly from families, not from the big institutions. Also if they have the same problems there is a difference between children according to the origin. In “Child and Space” we knew a ten years old girl who’s been left after her birth in a big institution and left for almost the whole time in a bed with bars and fed with liquids. The result was terrifying: she was unable to sit and for any communication. Although parents have no education of that kind, but certainly they would not treat their children like that. Today the aim of the Bulgarian specialist is to work together with families. But this is only a will for the future, due to the many lacks existing in the country (laws, mentality and money problems).
The problem is that in Bulgaria the legislative deficiencies about the treatment of small children by the institutions are existing the same way today. The chaotic political situation of the country of these times has prevented a vote on a proposed new law with respect to childhood.
The structure and the staff
This institution is situated in the suburb of Sofia, in a friendly context, not far from the center of the town. The building was remodeled nicely and equipped with lift before the opening and adapted for 8 children with strong disabilities (blindness, paralysis, and so on), from 9 to 18 years old. The rooms are for two persons, and at the roof there is a large and well equipped recreation room with an own kitchen, where the staff prepares meals, involving the children.
The nurses who take care to children for 24 hours a day, are without specific profession. That is not required by the institutions, by law.
The center has a director and a psychologist and external special teachers for the education and specialist from the University for rehabilitation cares.
We found that all the staff were really kind and devoted to the children and the institution was friendly and has a family atmosphere.
Activities and treatments
The nurses are working with children following an individual program, mostly developing consciousness of their own body, their own movements, to connect their minds to the body and vice versa.
We found interesting - an example of a reverse integration -, that one of the nurses who’s working in the institution, having a 5 years old son, without any other solution keeps his son with herself during the working hours: his child has no problem with playing with the other strongly disable mates.
Children also receive an education by special teachers for Monday till Friday until 2 p.m. (they are following a special individualised program for each child, elaborated together by nurses, psychologist, teachers and other specialist) and rehabilitative cares by University specialists.
Sometimes the institution organizes a kind of small holidays sending the children in other centers.
The institution has a small garden where they can spend spare times, and often they go out to the public garden, although the sidewalks in Sofia are dangerous not only for wheelchairs but able people, too.
Due to financing problems they do not have any other possibility to leave the institution.
The future of the children
The children of the institution, due to their multiply disabilities, physical and mental, have few possibilities to be integrated with able children. The small group works as a kind of family. They know each other, they work together during activities for years.
Without direct experience in the past, the management and the special staff are thinking about the future of their children. After their 18th birthday they should leave the institution. But outside they have no any possibility, given the lack of any other institution of the same kind for adults. They are not able to manage themselves, especially to find a job, to be on their own. In this case, they would need other institutions to continue to be protected and developed. The question is: if in the small group care home they felt themselves at home, with their “brothers and sisters”, why they should leave?
Ádám Fekete – Progetti Nonprofit Kft.
Kindergarten N 55 “Veselina”
This institution is a state nursery school, attended by 300 children at age 3/7 years.
The kindergarten in Bulgaria lasts 4 years, but the last year is a pre-preparatory school for the elementary school. During this last year the children have to follow a national program, have textbooks and must achieve sufficient results in order to access the school.
The kindergarten is almost free, but parents have to pay a monthly fee for the lunch and for some extra-curricular activities.
The extra-curricular activities are many and varied (eg, gymnastics, folk dance ..), families can choose one of these activities but at least one is mandatory. The cost of the asset is borne by households. These courses are less expensive than in the private market, even if is a not insignificant cost for families considering the average wages in Sofia.
The school is equipped with an indoor swimming pool, which benefit all children.
The children are divided into classes by age, approximately 30 children per class. Throughout the school there are a maximum of two children with disability. The proportion of children with disabilities is determined by the state for each school, analyzing each school and in relation to the capacity of host institution.
The disability of children is still not serious, because children with strong disabilities are placed in special institutions and do not always have access to the school system.
The school does not have to decide if accept or not the disabled child should receive one sent by the social welfare system.
For children with disability are provided for specific activities, such as speech therapy, special
gymnastics, psychological support, support teacher.
Sofia Municipal day care center for social rehabilitation of disabled
This institution is a day center for social rehabilitation of disable whit strong disabilities.
It was founded in 1999.
The center is a new building, is almost totally funded by the state of Korea, who has undertaken the construction, furnishing and the facilities and covers their expenses. Lenders are also actively involved in the decision-making structure of the center, for example, are now deciding the final name of the structure.
This funding is continually reminded, in fact, on every piece of furniture is applied the logo of the Korean state. It's just a detail, but is representative of a very strong presence in Bulgaria by foreign lenders with a very strong decision-making role, which determines the strategies, techniques, and mode, apparently not always agreed with the Bulgarians professionals.
The center is structured to take charge of 90 children and 150 adults.
In Sofia there are 9 referral centers for people with disability. Patients come to this center, a social worker (without medical training) decide what treatments and / or actions needed by the patient and sends it in one of the day care center of Sofia.
The center we visited is divided into two main sections: a medical/physical rehabilitation and a section of a social rehabilitation.
Work in the centre 3 physiotherapists, 2 psychologists, 1 kinesiotherapist, 4 rehabilitators, 1 doctor, 2 speech therapists, 2 sociale workers, 1 art therapist, 1 music and dance therapist.
All staff is qualified.
The building is divided on two floors. The medical section is located on the ground floor. The space is divided into many room adapted for physiotherapy and rehabilitation, someone very small where there is only the place for the bad, others biggers, where at the same time 3 or 4 patients are followed.
The medical sector is mainly devoted to physiotherapy and physical rehabilitation. The building and the equipments are new, but do not seem particularly innovative.
For children there is a fully equipped room, the parents may attend the meetings of the children or not. The decision must be made on a case by case basis.
Patients have access to the structure for the time of therapy or activities.
Upstairs are the offices and rooms for the activities of social rehabilitation. Also in this case, users access in the structure to carry out the activities, that can be do individually or in small groups.
The activities are especially artistic type, there is a small laboratory where they are carried out small craft work (icons, paper flowers, paintings) and there is a dance workshop - the center also participates in dance festival for the disabled.
Some activities are focused on learning of some capacity such as write, count, take care of their hygiene.
One of the rooms on the upper floor is called the ‘relax-room’. It is a room where they gathered the different sources of stimulation (sounds, colors, lights, smells, materials ...) that can stimulate and relax the patient. It is a place of calm, which can be used by patients but inly on the recommendation of the social worker of reference.
The socio-rehabilitative activities are funded in part by the state and are partly borne by the family.
Normally people come on to the structure by their own means (car, walking, by bus…), in Sofia people with disabilities have the agreements for the use of taxis and public transport, but there is also a transport service.
The day care center offers important rehabilitatives activities to develop personal skills, but there's no path to integrate as to support the integration of disabled people in society.
The director said that there are other organization in Sofia with the aim of help young disabled people to enter in the labour market, such as learning computer’s use, but in the center that we visited there is no action to include disable people in the life, and even to meet abled and disabled people.
Claudia Piovano – PROGETTI Nonprofit kft.
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