Center for Assistance to Families of Children with Disabilities "Sodeistvie"
Developing together: group activities for families with children with disabilities from 2,5 to 18 years
Main values
Geography: Rostov Oblast
CSS contribution, rubles
Total budget, rubles
Implementation period, months
Project idea
The "Developing Together" project provides group classes for families with children who have special needs—including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), genetic disorders, cerebral palsy, and more—catering to ages 2.5 to 18 years old. The project's goal is to enhance the relationship between children and their parents and to assist children in seamlessly integrating into the educational setting. Group sessions enable participants to interact with other children and adults, fostering improved community integration. Parents receive support and educational materials to aid in their children's development.
The project features bi-weekly sessions for children throughout the entire school year. The participants will be segmented into different age categories.
Children aged 2.5 to 6 years learn to interact with their peers and parents, develop self-care abilities, and engage in play.
For children aged 6-12 years, classes emphasize the development of sentence construction and the broadening of knowledge about the surrounding world.
Teenagers (ages 12-18) will be able to enhance their communication skills with peers and develop greater independence.
In collaboration with the children's parents, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) serves as a practical tool to create a personalized rehabilitation program tailored to the client's specific needs. The technology enables parents, in collaboration with specialists, to prioritize personal development on a quarterly basis and focus all efforts on cultivating the requisite skills. The parent actively engages in the rehabilitation process and learns to embrace the unique characteristics of their child.
The "Developing Together" project aims to support a minimum of 69 families with children who have special health needs in Rostov-on-Don.
The second focus of the project is to broaden the professional community and enhance the training of specialists. At least six experts from three NGOs in Rostov-on-Don will become proficient in a system designed for working with families of children with special health needs through group sessions and will guide these families throughout the duration of the project. The "Developing Together" project will enable the acceptance of at least 20 students for internships.
Relevance
Based on a survey conducted by specialists from the "Equal Opportunities for Children" project, in collaboration with the National Education Resources Foundation, it was found that four out of ten parents encounter challenges when enrolling a child with special health needs in kindergartens or schools. The process is impacted by all involved parties: educational institutions are unprepared to fully integrate children with special health needs into the educational process due to the children's lack of necessary skills for participation in learning, and parents are not prepared for the separation from their child.
Government involvement in assisting children with special health needs is primarily focused on medical rehabilitation. The family does not lead a fulfilling life; instead, they attempt to "correct" the child, spending vast amounts of money on specialists.
The "Developing Together" project assists children with special health needs in seamlessly integrating into the educational process by fostering the essential skills through group sessions, thereby directly enhancing the quality of life for the entire family.
In terms of engaging with parents, the experience at the Sodeistvie Center has demonstrated that offering complimentary psychological sessions for parents of children with special health needs does not yield the anticipated outcomes. Collaborating with parents through the use of the COPM (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure) approach, where the parent is not merely a passive observer but is actively engaged in the rehabilitation decision-making process, yields significantly better outcomes for both the child and the parent.
Social effect
Enhancing the social integration of children with special health needs in Rostov-on-Don by implementing educational programs and providing family support.
KPI
KPI
Project Results
The project was undeniably beneficial for all participants.
The 2021-2022 school year saw a total of 619 group sessions.
At the beginning of the process, parents found it difficult to assess their child's developmental stage and identify areas for improvement. Through a specialized methodology, adults have learned to assess developmental levels and determine how to construct a tailored educational path moving forward. Experts observed that once parents engaged in conversations about the objective, they started to contemplate strategies and measures that could be implemented to attain outcomes not only within the school environment but also at home.
Currently, about 30% of children with special needs are integrated into the educational process by participating in group sessions within the "Developing Together" project. The remaining children are focused on developing the required skills.
The community of professionals dedicated to supporting children with special health needs has grown: non-profit organizations have acquired knowledge and expertise in facilitating group sessions, students have obtained valuable practical experience, and several have expressed interest in maintaining their collaboration with the Sodeistvie Center as employees or volunteers.
In the process, more conducive conditions for the interaction and development of children with special needs were established. Classes were conducted using truly effective methods, and parents were provided with methodological support.
By the end of the school year, 77.5% of children were participating in group classes independently, without the need for parental or chaperone support.
Project progress after CSS funding
Parents have provided positive feedback, as evidenced by the increased number of applications for classes. The interest of partner organizations in gaining new experiences is also worth noting.
The project's continued funding is expected to come from corporate and individual donors.
The organization intends to offer group classes for children with special health needs, enlist students from specialized universities for internships, and provide consultation and oversight services to organizations on inclusion and the development of group classes.
