TALK, WE LISTEN TO YOU

WHY

In the course of 13 years´ work of STREP, its workers have been encountering a fact that professionals working with socially endangered families with children concentrate more on parents than on children – in the sense of motivation and activation to solve their life situations (empowerment). Reprehension, persuasion and commanding prevail in social work and communication with children. In the cases of children older than 10 years, their empowerment – motivation and activation to take responsibility for their behaviour and its consequences or their life in general - begins to be an actual question. If children are sufficiently supported in this area, they learn that they can influence their life and they stop blaming others for everything what “happens to them”- for example “I have no problems but a social worker, teacher picked on me.” That is according to STREP one of the important conditions to their success in life

FOR WHOM and HOW

This project is intended for children aged 10 – 15 who come from socially endangered families and are endangered by removal from the family and placement in institutional care as a result of behavioural difficulties (for example truancy, conflicts with teachers, minor thefts).

WHAT and HOW

The social workers of STREP work during the visits in the family on the empowerment of children, their motivation and activation, the training of constructive patterns of communication, provision of feedback etc. The parents of the children are informed about this way of work and motivated to attend the “feedback giving”.
The social workers of STREP also communicate with other professionals involved (for example social workers of social-legal protection of children, judges of custodial courts, teachers) about the empowerment of children and the changes achieved in their behaviour.