Early intervention to prevent abandonment and institutionalisation in Bulgaria
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Karin Dom is a member of Inclusion Europe.
It works to make things better for people with disabilities in Bulgaria.
Karin Dom wants children with disabilities to live with a family
and not in institutions.
They teach parents how to care for children with disabilities.
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| Karin Dom, Bulgarian member of Inclusion Europe held an open doors day on January 19 to present the results of their programme “Early intervention to prevent abandonment of children with disabilities”. Given its success the programme will run for a second time this year. |
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Representatives of all the partners in the programme assisted to the event, such as the Varna Municipality or the Department of Child Protection.
Apart from observing the methodology used when working with children, the guests had the opportunity to watch a film recording of home visits which are at the heart of the Early Intervention Programme. Afterwards a discussion was held. Guests offer suggestions for the continuing of the program and some conclusions were drawn from the results of the program.
Early intervention to prevent abandonment of children with disabilities
Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that people with disabilities have a right to live independently and be included in the community. In order to attain this goal, children with intellectual disabilities should be allowed to be growing up within their family and community from an early age. The project’s aim is to decrease abandonment and institutionalization of children with disabilities or at risk.
In order to achieve this objective the program offers three different methods:
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Developing and introducing an Early Intervention Program;
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Establishing a family support network and learning opportunities for parents;
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Promoting Early Intervention services to health partners and government departments.
The approach is family-centred. Parents will be given the skills and knowledge necessary for their child’s development. They will also offer support services to these families. Moreover, in accordance to its name, this programme will intervene from the beginning at the maternity ward, assisting and supporting the mothers.
This Programme is one among many across Europe in the fight against institutionalisation. Inclusion Europe is one of the European networks working to develop Common European Guidelines on De-institutionalisation.
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