DGASPC Mureş

During 1998-2000 the dynamic system of the child’s protection passed through a dynamic process of changes extending by taking in its subordination the Children Houses within the county. The Children Houses changes their names into Placement Centres in a number of 8, which were taking care of about 1400 children aged between 1 month and 20 years.

The no. 3 Placement Centre from Tg.Mures, 45 Republicii St. was taking care in the year 2000 of 395 children with special needs aged between 7 and 20. At a deep analysis of the children’s problems it was noticed that this old type institution can satisfy the physical and material needs of the children living there, but their actually living there could be a profoundly destructive experience because of the difficulty to satisfy their psychosocial needs.

The most difficult psychosocial needs to be satisfied are the following:
-love, affection and child’s safety
-new experiences and the stimulation of the child’s innate potential by games, talking, communication and education;
-the praise, the appreciations and the recognition needed by the child to feel encouraged, approved, supported and comfortable;
-the supervision and the discipline needed by the child to have an appropriate behavior;
-the development of the child’s sense of responsibility and independence;
-the lack of the socio-professional integration;
Having in mind all these and to help the satisfaction of the children’s needs it was drawn up a strategy at the level of the Centre for the period 2001-2004, in concord with the County and Governmental strategy for the child’s protection.

This Strategy stipulates the following:
-Foundation of alternative services- family homes for 60 children;
-the reintegration into the natural or enlarged family, where the socio-economic conditions are appropriate, of a number of 170 children;
-the discharge of a number of 65 young people with the condition of their being supported in finding a job and accommodation;
-the closing of the Centre in December 2004;

The old type institutions are a very hard inheritance for the child in need because of the effects the life in an institution leaves on the child. That’s the reason why the child’s personality is contorted and he presents retardation in his physical and mental development , as well as in his ability of being independent. These effects which are too early installed at an institutionalized child must be improved or even removed.

The purpose of a family type home, in this context, is:
-the model of a family life, the social parents’ model
-by noticing the adults’ behavior, the child can understand the complementary parts;
-an affective and stimulant atmosphere for the child;
-support in the formation and the acquiring of some habituations which can ensure his independent life;
-monitoring and personal guidance;
-relationship with his natural family and with the community;
-the learning and the acquiring of a well-structured way of life- sleep, meals, games, etc.
-to ensure the development of the child’s personality, developing responsibility and ability to face different situations.

Within the family type home, the children and the parents share the same house, so that the most important element in the preparing of a healthy and well-educated future generation have the social parents. The implementing of the strategy, the choosing of the appropriate service which should solve the children’s in need problems, the family homes needed the following steps:
-the attraction of financial and material funds
-the partners’ implication into the accomplishment of the strategy
-the identification and the provision of houses which should correspond the children’s needs
-the stuff’s recruitment and training (parental group + educational trainer)

The attainment of the financial and material resources was achieved through accessing the PHARE funds, the World Bank, National Interest Programs (PIN), Governmental and County Programs, the establishment of partnerships with the ONGs, commercial companies, physical persons.

By the ‘Children First’ PHARE Program we obtained the amount of 300,000 Euros for the provision of a number of nine houses within the Mures County during 2001-2003. Their equipment with furniture, labor-saving devices, heating installations, was achieved through the help of the following foundations: LOC, Buckner, Kinderzeit, Speranta Copiilor. A number of 80 children with special needs are the beneficiaries of these houses, focusing on the instructive-educational process, the self- managing of the house, the development of the agro-zootechnical area. During 2004-June 2005 , the Council of the Mures County and the Romanian Government obtained in the ‘Rasaritului’

Residential Quarter from the locality of Sancraiu de Mures a number of 11 houses where 88 children carry on their activity under the parental groups’ and the social parents’ monitoring. In achieving this goal and in the appropriate unfolding of the activity in these houses, an important element are partners such as: The Dove Foundation, the Benta Association, the Alba Iulia Episcopy and the Ortodox Archpriestship of Targu Mures. In the town of Reghin are functioning 2 family type homes with 22 children AGASPC Mures, having as partners: the Luxembourg Government, the Ortodox Archpriestship of Reghin and the Local Council.

From the functioning of the first family type homes till present it was noticed the following :
-the children are attending different educational forms from the local communities with good and very good results
-they get the visit of their friends, colleagues,
-the relationship with the natural or extended family improved by visits, the spending of the weekends or the holidays with the family
-they were accepted and integrated into the local communities by their participating to different common cultural, moral, voluntary activities.
-the participation with good results to different educational, vocation contests, on a local area
-the accomplishment of a relationship with the parental group based on trust, communication, mutual respect
-the spending of their holidays in camps, trips, journeys, the supporting of vocations such as: sports, painting, graphics, knitting.

Having the experience of the young people who were leaving the old system and the deeds of the children from the family type homes, we give an important role the instructive-educational and to the socio-professional process. Each child has an individualized intervention project, which describes besides his personal, family, social, educational data also his talents, vocations, and professional expectations.

The individualized project is carried on by a multidisciplinary team formed by pshychologists, social assistants, doctors, the parental group, educational trainers, teachers. On the basis of the obtained data and taking into account the children’s wishes, we expect the building within each house of a workshop, where, under the parents’ guidance each child could acquire helpful skills for his future job. By the experience accumulated in the working process, the children graduating a vocational school will integrate themselves more easily at their working places and in the community. In the Complex from the locality of Sancrai , where the conditions are not appropriate to the building of workshops, the children will be trained during their holidays in different jobs such as: hotel cleaning, building, tailoring, cooking. The children who have already graduated the secondary school will forward attend the local School of Arts and Vocations where they will have a professional training and their practical training will be done within the Benta Concern. The family type homes are created to help children, to satisfy their needs and expectations. We are still at the beginning of a road but after crossing it together we will be able to say: Here is the child, the adolescent, the young, the man.

The family Istavan Ioan and Cristina
Children: 9: 3 girls and 6 boys aged between 10 and 16;
-they are attending the elementary school from the locality

Activities:
-the safe-managing of the house
-the breeding of animals (cows, pigs, horses)
-a moral-christian education

During 2004-2005 the ‘Speranta Copiilor’ Foundation built here the carpentry workshop the children acquiring here under their father’s guidance the fist steps into the wood processing. Their training and technical assistance is provided by the company Ansid SRL Tg.Mures.

For the development of the activity and for the provision of the workshop with the necessary tools an investment of 3,000 Euro is needed.

The family Petrutan Doina and Ioan
-9 girls aged between 10-16
-they are attending the primary school from the locality

-the building of a workshop and its provision with the necessary tools for the activity of knitting – an investment of 15,000 Euro

The family Dragos Ioan and Tereza
-Children: 9 boys aged between 8 and 16;
-They are attending the secondary school from the locality

Activities
-the safe-managing of the house
- the breeding of animals
- agricultural works

The Kinderzeit Foundation from Germany supported the building of the annexes. In the close future the building of a metallic confections workshop is also promised by them. An investment of 2,500 Euro is estimated for its provision with the necessary tools.

The Complex from the Rasaritului Residential Quarter in the locality of Sancraiu de Mures is composed of 11 houses where 88 children aged between 4 and 18 are carrying on their activity , depending on their age, they are attending the local kindergarten and school or the high-schools from Tg.Mures.

With the support of the Benta Foundation the practical training of the children with special needs is being done at the companies patronized by the Foundation.

In supporting the activity in these houses, an important element are partners such as: The Dove Foundation, the LOC, the Alba Iulia Episcopy by the Ortodox Archpriestship from the locality. Because of its being a recently opened campus (July 2005) the following works are still necessary:

-the arrangement of the playing grounds
-the arrangement of the park within the Campus
- the arrangement of the sportsground
Their value is estimated at the amount of 5,000 Euro

Activities
-the safe-managing of the house
-the attendance of the local school
-Nicusor Ratiu- painting- icons, decorative painting

-the building of an attic for the expansion of the locative space – value: 4,000 Euro
-the building of a mechanical workshop ( locksmith’s trade and its provision with tools) for the children’s socio-professional training, to the sum of 13,000 Euro

Activities
-the safe-managing of the house
- the breeding of animals
- agricultural works

Perspective
-the building of a locksmith’s trade workshop, an investment of 15,000 Euro

-the safe-managing of the house
-agricultural activities
-an 8 years old child: painting, drawing, graphics

-the building of a pottery workshop- where the children will work under an artist’s guidance
-the estimated value of the investment: 15,000 euro

Activities
Having the support of the Vallais Roumain Association from Switzerland in August 2005 it was built and provided with the necessary tools the tailoring workshop where, under the mother’s guidance, they took the first steps into this activity. The activity of the workshop is being patronized by the Company TexOptim SRL Tg.Mures which is providing the assistance and the practical training as well as the selling of the products obtained here.

The expansion of the activity (raw materials, tools) needs a financial support of 3,000 euro.