Community Services to Vulnerable Groups: OVC Quarterly Report April-June 2014

The project targets "social orphans," children whose parents are living but unable to provide proper care, or children of parents who have been denied parental rights. The project's activities focus on working with families and social service professionals to maintain and reintegrate children within their original family units. The project has three main objectives: improve access to and further develop an integrated system of community-based prevention and services for families with institutionalized and at-risk children; improve the quality of training and education available to social service providers; and provide technical assistance to social service providers through policy development, methodology consultations, and advocacy efforts. During the reporting period, the project team's main focus was on ensuring sustainability of positive changes introduced by the project in previous years and overcoming barriers related to optimization of the education and child protection systems in the country. The implementation of community-based services targeting risk factors of child abuse, neglect, and institutionalization continued, supported through community resources and by alumni of ChildFund's training programs. These services included the Parenting Skills Enhancement program, SafeCare home visitation service, PRIDE for foster and adoptive parents, reformation of the child protection system through multidisciplinary cooperation, and the development of informal mechanisms in the child protection system. ChildFund specialists provided targeted consultations and interventions to support child protection services' sustainability. The project achieved several key outputs during the reporting period, including 1,432 parents and 191 children accessing community-based prevention and rehabilitation services, 108 specialists supported with targeted consultations and methodological and informational materials, and 1,011 child protection specialists participating in capacity-building events. Additionally, 276 social work students completed a training program on the family-centered approach to child protection services, and three information newsletters were issued and disseminated among partner communities. However, the project faced several challenges and constraints, including staff turnover, which severely affects the education and child welfare sectors and threatens the sustainability of introduced changes. The government's request to optimize the structure of retraining Institutes by 30% by September 2014 also poses a risk to the sustainability of ChildFund's programs. Lessons learned from the project include the importance of regular peer and experience exchange meetings for alumni of training programs to sustain their enthusiasm, the value of university faculty as a resource for implementation and assuring sustainability of programs, and the need to address the challenges posed by optimization of retraining institutes' work. The project's activities are focused on improving access to community-based prevention and services, improving the quality of training and education available to social service providers, and providing technical assistance to social service providers. The project's outputs include the provision of community-based services, training and capacity-building events, and the development of informal mechanisms in the child protection system. The project's geographic focus is on Belarus, with a specific emphasis on the regions of Minsk, Gomel, and Grodno. The project's timeframes are quarterly, with the current reporting period covering April 1 to June 30, 2014. The project's recommendations include the need for continued support for community-based services, the development of informal mechanisms in the child protection system, and the provision of technical assistance to social service providers. The project's implementation details include the provision of training and capacity-building events, the development of community-based services, and the provision of technical assistance to social service providers. The project's methodology includes the use of community-based services, training and capacity-building events, and the provision of technical assistance to social service providers.