The Brovary community is one of the first in Ukraine to introduce a service of accompanying children by social workers during inclusive education. Who can become a social worker, what exactly does this service include, and why is it important for children with special needs, said Lyudmyla Mardar, head of the Center for Social Services of the Brovary City Council, in a commentary to UNN.
According to the head of the Center for Social Services, there are currently 152 children with special needs in the Brovary community. In principle, they can attend all educational institutions in the community. There are inclusive groups and classes in kindergartens and schools.
"The fact is that in December 2021, the state standard for social support services during inclusive education was introduced. That is, a teacher's assistant is responsible for the child's education, and a social worker is responsible for everyday needs, and has no right to interfere in the educational process. The main task of such a worker is to help a child with special needs with eating, washing hands, changing clothes, going to the toilet, accompanying them while moving around the school, etc.
This service can be provided by both relatives of children and outsiders, whom we hire and pay a minimum wage. One social worker accompanies one child. It is important to understand that the child's relatives, if they have not been trained and have not received a certificate, are not allowed to be with the child in the educational institution during the educational process," said Lyudmyla Mardar.
The woman noted that this practice is new to Ukraine, so, of course, certain difficulties arise in the process of its implementation.
"We were one of the first to introduce it. We were interested in the experience of Kyiv and Dnipro. But their centers of social services centrally purchased this service from NGOs, and the latter were not particularly eager to share their best practices. So we decided to go our own way. This year, we have five people who have undergone special training. Since September 1, three of them have already become social workers: one grandmother and two mothers. Now we have an increased number of applications, people are coming and taking an interest, so at the city council session it was decided to increase the staff of social workers to 15 people.
We understand that constant care for a child with special needs is sometimes psychologically difficult for parents and other close people. Therefore, the standard is intended to be written so that the social worker relieves parents to some extent. But so far, there are few outsiders who are interested in this activity. That's why most of our applications are from mothers and grandmothers," added the head of the Center for Social Services of Brovary City Council.
Lyudmyla Mardar noted that funds for social workers' salaries are included in the community budget. She also emphasized that the Brovary authorities pay considerable attention to the care of children with special needs.
"We have a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities, where they receive all the help they need. We used to hold a festival for these children, where they read poetry, sang, and performed various skits. This is very important for them.
Some regions complain that they do not have funds for social work with children with special needs, but Brovary has them.
Our mayor, Igor Sapozhko, knows every such child, every person who needs social services. He is constantly interested in the issues that arise in social services and helps to resolve them. And this makes me so proud of the community and our government, which cares about every person," said Lyudmyla Mardar.