3rd
Mobility to Romania
Baraolt
/ 6th of june – 9th of june
Professional Assessment
Residence and rehabilitation centre of Baraolt for
resident young children
As
the name gives away, this institution is a residence for handicapped children.
It’s located in the centre of Baraolt, in the Kovászna district of Romania. The
Town of Baraolt is the institution’s responsible body. It is funded by the
Romanian state as well as Austrian and Dutch sponsors. The state and sponsors
pay the staff’s salaries. As the institution is aimed at children from socially
deprived families, their parents don’t have to pay additional fees.
The
institution operates around the clock, as it is a residence where children live
day and night. To be admitted, children have to be between 0 and 8 years old,
have a physical or mental handicap and live in the nearby of Baraolt.
There
are 9 female employees, among them educators, childcare workers, social
workers, a psychologist, a speech therapist, a nurse and a doctor, who is also the
manager. The childcare workers absolve a 6-months training after their school.
The doctor has studied medicine, comparable to a German study.
At
the moment there are 12 children in the residence, divided in two groups. One
for kids aged 0 to 3 and one for those between 3 and 8 years old. The younger
group is attended by 5, the elder one by 7 children. The children suffer from
different handicaps such as Down syndrome, cleft palate, spastic handicaps and
cognitive issues.
The
residence has four buildings, of which we were shown the children’s residence.
There are five group and therapy rooms in the one story building, which are
used for individual and group therapy. Furthermore, there are handicapped
accessible toilets, an office, a staff room and a kitchen. The group rooms are
equipped with lots of toys and aid material for gross and fine motor skills, as
well as for cognitive and physical aid. The residence has a big garden with
monkey bars, slides and other playground equipment. Some doors are built rather
narrow, meaning that kids in wheelchairs could have problems moving around
without obstacles. Apart from that, the rooms are well equipped against
injuries.
The
institution’s pedagogic goals are mainly to simplify the children’s daily life
and make it worthwhile and easier. They also put a great focus on the contact
between the kids and their families and on the parent’s interests fort he kids.
In
order to achieve these goals, the children’s cognitive, senso-motoric and
speech abilities are supported. The aid is adapted to the child’s possibilities
and takes place four times a week, 20 minutes always at the same time, in a
playful, colourful environment. Individual aid is very eclectic and puts the
kids’ interests first. The pedagogic staff such as the speech therapist, the
psychologist and the educators ensures the aid’s variety. If not in therapy,
the children spend their time in the group rooms, where the staff looks them
after. The team has regular meetings and documents the children’s development.
They try to integrate the kids through common projects with other handicapped
institutions. Regular walks through the town are supposed to help as well.
The
social workers visit the children’s parents and try to evoke their interest in
their kids and incite them to visit the children regularly.
All
in all we can state that this institution is modern and well equipped. The
staff care very well for the children and pays attention to their needs.
Integration could be more eclectic and there should be some contact between
handicapped and normal children. Staff from outside could especially aid the
children with physical handicaps. The overall impression,
however, was very good and the staff’s positive attitude is exemplary.
„Cimbora“ – kinder garden
This institution exists since 1992 and works
integrative ever since. It has 10 groups in total and is located in a
residential area in the city centre. Opening hours are from 8 am to 1 pm for
three groups, and from 8 am to 5 pm for seven groups. The parent’s fees depend
on their income, but do not exceed 20 Euros per year. The contribution is
voluntary. The school is funded by the city, which, however, only covers the
staff’s salaries. Private sponsors support it financially.
There are 16 educators, 10 aides, a nurse, a speech
therapist and a psychologist. The educators have a three-year professional
training and are able to absolve a psychological formation within another three
years.
220 children visit the school, seven of them are in a
special group for mentally handicapped. They are looked after by two educators
and a psychologist. 25 kids aged 1 to 3 are cared for in the nursery school by
one educator and a helper. One of these kids is deaf. The other 8 groups are
regular kinder garden groups, each one being visited by 20-23 children.
The house is a two-story building with several
staircases and an elevator. Each group has a room of about 40-50 m². Some
groups have fold-out beds, apart from sufficient chairs and tables. There are
playing corners (costume corner, doll corner, etc) and lots of toys (puzzles,
construction toys, etc). There is a therapy room for play therapy and a small
office for the psychologist.
The children in the special group are individually
aided during play therapy. The school’s focus is to support the kids’ creative
and artistic activities by using different materials, such as natural
materials.
Bases for pedagogic work:
-
Individual
fulfilment
-
integration
and acceptance of being different
-
support
the children with their character development
-
formation
of social, physical, emotional and intellectual skills
There are personal meetings with the parents, both at
school and in their homes, in order to help them with educational matters.
The house and the rooms look very tidy. The rooms are
bog, and have sufficient furniture and toys. The garden is large and beautiful,
but there is to few playground equipment for so many children. The combination
of playing, eating and sleeping in the same room is rather unusual. The staff
are friendly and nice, as well as the atmosphere. However, the staff of one
educator in the morning and one in the afternoon for 20-23 children, 25 in the
nursery group, doesn’t leave much margin
It’s pleasant that there are two educators and a
psychologist in the special group of 7 children. The psychologist and the
speech therapist aid the children in individual therapy. Unfortunately, there
was no evidence of cooperation with other groups in the school. We couldn’t
clarify why the special needs children are looked after in a separate group and
not in one of the regular ones.
Diakonia Írisz Ház
Sepsiszentgyörgy – Daily care center for disabled people
This institution offers handicapped people the
possibility to do manual work during the day. It’s located at the outskirts of
Sepsiszentgyörgy, a small town in the Romanian Covasna district and employs
several handicapped people from the closer surroundings. It’s regulatory body
is the „Diakonia“ organisation, which is a charitable organisation in Transylvania . The centre is funded by the state, but is
still reliant on the support of several German, Austrian and Dutch sponsors.
Another source of income is the sale of products crafted by the handicapped.
There are administrative employees, psychologists,
nurses, social education workers, and teachers as well as craftsmen for the
different manual works. We didn’t receive any information on their
qualifications.
The handicapped work in the workshop and are therefore
the real staff. Up to 10 workers fit in one room and are supervised by a
craftsman.
It’s a one-story building with two wings and a garden.
One wing holds the offices and some workshops, the other one only workshops and
storage rooms. There are some rented rooms in the centre of Sepsiszentgyörgy,
as well as a clothing shop, which indirectly belong to the Írisz house’s
facilities. The main building is very modern and the workshops are nice, but
over equipped. There is a lot of working material, as they produce in rather
large quantities. The facility is handicapped accessible, just the workshops
are furnished a bit narrow, making it difficult for wheelchairs to access them.
Possibly there are handicapped accessible workshops in the building, but we
didn’t get to see them. The facilities in the city centre aren’t handicapped
accessible, their doors are too narrow and the rooms too small. The same
applies to the shop, which can’t be reached by wheelchair, as there is a
construction site and a 4-step staircase in front of it.
The institution’s goal is to employ handicapped persons.
These handicapped adults have the possibility to do manual works, like
woodwork, candle production, gardening, grading of textiles, etc. It is very
important for the workers to engage in activities that they like. Educations
and psychologists continuously talk to the workers and observe them during
work, in order to identify which works they like and which ones not. There is
no integrative work, as the facility is exclusively aimed at handicapped
people.
The institution has a good contact with the workers’
families, although this isn’t always easy.
Írisz Ház has good foreign contacts, thanks to
„Diakonia“, and is therefore able to realise many projects. They work closely
with „Laura Ház“, which has a similar philosophy. There is also a clothing store
in Baraolt which employs mainly handicapped people .
The institution has very creative and good ideas on
how to occupy handicapped people in a way that makes sense. Their handling is
very humane and familial. The building is modern and beautiful, therefore the
workers have a nice environment. The rooms shouldn’t be too furnished to ensure
access for wheelchairs. Unfortunately there is no integrative work at all, as
the handicapped stay among themselves. In our opinion, they should start
projects, supported by the good sponsors, during which the workers cooperate
with regular workers. Overall, Írisz Ház is a very interesting institution,
which combines profitability and social commitment in a perfect way.
Laura Ház Baraolt – Daily care centre for disabled
children and young adults
Laura Ház
was founded by Laura Toth, a psychologist († 2007) as a non-profit organization
in 2003. The centre is located in a detached house with garden in the small
town of Baraolt
Since it
is a non-profit organization, it relies constantly on contributions. They
receive support from the county of Baraolt , from the children’s legal protection of the county of Kovaszna Netherlands
Laura Ház
is opened from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 2 pm. They offer a free shuttle
service with their own small bus and a voluntary driver.
Admission
criteria are cleanliness, being able to eat by oneself and no aggressive
behaviour.
The
children may stay in the institution as long as they want to, there is no age
limit. Hence it is necessary to expand the space, otherwise there would be no
further possibility to accept children.
There are
five full-time staff in the house. The manager and an administrator take care
of everything to keep the house running. Both look after the children from time
to time as well. A psychologist takes care of the individual aid in cognitive
and lingual matters. The other staff are young educators without any formation.
They simply absolve a six-month training during which they acquire professional
skills. Several voluntary helpers support their work. There is no therapeutical
staff in the house.
At the
moment, 15 youths are looked after at the house. 3 of them are under 18, 12 are
of legal age. The eldest is 30 years old. She sells items produced in the
workshop, like pillows, rugs and small art objects, as well as used clothing.
Most handicaps are mental handicaps. There is no integration.
The
buildings are relatively small. One room is for individual aid, there is some
adequate material, but they can’t afford a lot of it. In another small, dark
room there is the workshop with a loom and a sewing machine. This room will be
renovated with the help of voluntary workers from Ireland
The
children have breakfast in the kitchen, sometimes they bake cake or cook there,
too. The washing machine is in the adjacent room. The sanitary room is not suit
for handicapped. There is some sort of fitness room in a separate building in
the garden, which is equipped with different training machines. The garden
offers a swing and there is a terrace being built in cooperation with the
workshop.
The goal of the institution is to provide children and
adolescents without scholastic learning with appropriate education and support,
especially regarding autonomy and work (protected workshop).
The pedagogic offer puts creative art education in the
foreground. The whole house is coloured and nicely decorated.
The psychologist writes a yearly report on the
development. She keeps in touch with the parents, manages the talks with them
and gives them advice when needed. Parents bring their children to the
examination at Sepsiszentgyörgy once a year. Here their group for special needs
is established: 1 is heavily handicapped, 3 shall mean 50% ability to work.
They cooperate with Irisz House in Sepsiszentgyörgy,
where handicapped adults are looked after, and establish contacts with other
institutions and schools. They are very active in this field. The house is a
small, quiet island for these people, who are very lovingly looked after and
supported. The adolescents have a good contact with their carers. The staff is
highly creative and motivated.
They have no possibility to receive scholastic
education; there is no adequate staff. The kids have no compulsory schooling
and are not taught in that sense.
Opening hours are way too short, only until 2 pm each
day.
Implementation of integration is not possible.
This institution is an education centre for children
with different handicaps. Financing is secured by the state and it’s
administrated by the county. This way, support, board, and the children’s’
transport is secured. Parents don’t have to contribute. Once a year the
children go on a field trip for a week, to which parents have to contribute
with 100-150 RON.
The house is big and nicely renovated, handicapped
accessible and has a large garden on the village’s outskirts. It’s not possible
to reach it by public transport. It was opened in 2008 and it takes in children
from the whole county, as far as distance allows. Opening hours are from Monday
to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. Every second Friday of the month the institution
is closed to children, as the staff uses that time for internal discussions,
planning, briefing and debriefing. There are no admission criteria. The
independent manager is psychologically trained. There is a second psychologist,
who is responsible for individual support and planning. Each group has two
full-time educators.
Furthermore, within the institution there are:
A physiotherapist for 5 hours daily, in order to do
therapy with the children 1-2 a week for 30-45 minutes, a full-time social
worker, a full-time health assistant, a paediatrician, who visits the
institution 2-3 times weekly (depending on the needs), an administrator, who is
responsible for administration and transport of the children, and a cook for
breakfast and lunch.
As per the manager, they employ educators with
baccalaureate, who are instructed by the psychologists and who take part in
training, the costs of which are reimbursed and which count as working hours.
In total, there are 33 children in 4 groups. The
educators work in a rotating system.
One group is for the 0-6/7 years-old, one for the
6/7-11/12-years-old, and two for 11/12-18 years-old.
Once the children reach legal age, they can’t visit
the institution any more. Each group has about 6 children. There is no special
integration group. Some children visit a normal kinder garden and come by the
institution 2-3 times a week. Children with autism and physical or psychical
handicaps visit this centre. Each group has a small room. Some rooms are
walk-through, but well equipped with furniture and materials. The psychologist
has a small room for individual therapy. There is a lunchroom for the meals. On
the first floor, accessible by elevator, there are 3 big sleeping rooms with 4
beds and a handicapped accessible bath and toilet each. Access to the house is
handicapped friendly and there is a playground and covered wooden pavilion in
the garden, as well as a wooden swing.
The aim of the pedagogic work is a complex support for
the children. Only handicapped children and adolescents are cared for in the
house. The idea of integration isn’t pursued. Creative work both by the
children and the educators is visible throughout the whole house. Every once in
a while they take the children riding. The psychologist writes a report twice a
year, after consulting with the staff. This report is handed out to the parents
and discussed with them. The social worker continuously offers his help and
support to the parents and visits them at home, too (support with applications,
etc), to discuss possible ways of development.
Once a year the children are taken to examination to a
county hospital. The results are used as basis for changes and extension of the
planning. There is no close cooperation with other institutions. The house
could use a remedial teacher, which can’t be employed due to financial reasons.
Apart from the physiotherapist there are no therapists for the children, speech
therapists for instance. The educators have no professional training, but care
for the children all day long. There is no compulsory schooling for handicapped
children in Romania
Special
school – Saint George, Cosvana
The special school is located in the city of Saint George , in the Cosvana district, Romania
The first classes were founded in 1980. In September
1987 the school obtained an independent and legal status. Minor mentally
handicapped pupils were taught in eight classes. Since 2000 it is alos possible
for heavily handicapped children to visit the school. At the same time an offer
towards infants was introduced. Cosvana is responsible for the sustenance and
the offers. At the moment, 120 pupils visit the institution. Children with
minor mental handicaps are schooled in 9 special classes. Those with major
handicaps are supported in three further classes (7-11 children). The two
special groups for infants are affiliated to two different nursery schools. One
of them is located in Arvaska Kindergarden in St. George (10 children), the
other group is with Cimbora Kindergarden in Baraolt, which is about 1 hour
drive from St. George. (See description Cimbora Kindergarden)
The admission is based on an examination. A commission
of medical doctors and psychologists decides on the further form of support
after a several day long examination. All employed teachers are special
pedagogues. On top of the pedagogues, there are several professional staff:
Psychologists, speech therapists, Physiotherapists. Two teachers supervise the
children in the three special classes.
The school is well furnished. There are several class
rooms, two well visited computer rooms and many therapy rooms. The rooms are
large and bright, the aisle in between the classrooms is broad and adequate for
wheelchairs. There was no elevator to be found in the two-story building.
Education and support is based on a programme, which
is oriented especially on each child’s abilities. The aim is to support and
integrate these children into society through speech therapy, physiotherapy and
psychotherapy. The exercises for daily life are implemented by work-therapeutic
methods. The children learn to work on a computer and take part in special
duties, like gardening. The school focuses on artistic and dance activities. In
the afternoon dances they rehearse dances, practise theatre plays and create
pieces of art. The dances and plays are performed at various events in the
city.
The school cooperates with other schools and kinder
gardens. The teachers are very committed. The different offers regarding arts
and music are very attractive. So far, however, it is a special school. There
doesn’t seem to be a plan to integrate children with special needs into regular
schools.
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