Project idea
The birth and upbringing of a child with special mental developmental needs presents significant challenges and stress for every member of the family. This project aims to support these families during difficult times by providing parents with the essential knowledge and skills to assist in the upbringing of their child.
According to the Administration of the restricted-access town of Vilyuchinsk, there are currently 107 children in the city with specific health needs. However, Vilyuchinsk has only one institution, the Vilyuchinsk Social Service Center, which employs highly qualified specialists in working with children with disabilities.
The project offers joint parent(s) and child sessions that include two cycles of group psychological training.
The program includes methods for psychological relief, art therapy, games, and creative developmental activities based on the Montessori method.
Through the project, parents of children with special needs will have the opportunity to step out of their isolated worlds, exchange experiences with others, expand their social circles, and address their psychological challenges.
Parents will learn how to create a nurturing, corrective developmental environment for their children. They will apply appropriate parenting strategies rooted in acceptance and understanding of their situation.
These sessions will foster closer, more harmonious child-parent relationships.
The project will also provide a variety of learning materials to cater to children of different ages, ensuring the lessons are effective, diverse, and enjoyable.
Art therapy activities are designed to allow parents to unwind with their children, while group training sessions will teach parents and children with disabilities how to tune in to each other, reducing emotional tension and fostering positive relationships.
By the end of the project, parents will have gained the necessary knowledge, skills, and techniques to engage positively and constructively with their child. Children with disabilities, in turn, will benefit from stimulating activities that promote their independence and development, ultimately strengthening the parent-child bond.
Relevance
When a child with developmental disabilities is born, family members face the difficult challenge of deciding how to respond to the situation.
A minority of parents are able to accept and adapt to these new realities, while the majority may react sharply negatively – with fear, guilt, frustration, despair, and emotional pain. These feelings can hinder the formation of a healthy relationship with the child. Some parents may even ignore the problem or emotionally reject the child, exacerbating the child’s developmental issues and hindering their social integration.
Therefore, it is crucial to provide timely support to harmonize and strengthen interpersonal and parent-child relationships. Psychological and educational assistance, the development of healthy self-esteem in parents, and the use of effective interaction techniques with children can facilitate this significantly.
Social effect
Support for families raising children with disabilities in the town of Vilyuchinsk
KPI
KPI
Project Results
All participants in the project were thrilled to take advantage of the opportunities offered.
For many, accessing specialists on a paid basis is not an option, despite the fact that such help and support are critically important to them.
The project took into account the individual needs of each family during its implementation. For example, some children were initially not ready to work with their parents. In these cases, individual meetings were arranged first, and only later were the parents gradually involved, followed by group activities.
One case saw a mother agree to apply for her child’s disability status after several sessions, which helped alleviate many psychological and practical challenges.
In another instance, the project team was able to convince parents to administer a previously prescribed medication to their child, leading to immediate positive developmental outcomes.
Many parents who received psychological and pedagogical support also changed their previously negative and inattentive attitudes towards their children. They learned to manage their emotions better and to give their child more autonomy and opportunities to take initiative.
Project progress after CSS funding
After the completion of CSS funding, the project will continue with the support of individual entrepreneur Anna Aleksandrovna Chernikova, along with volunteers and the center’s partners.
The conditions for participation will remain unchanged. Plans include expanding the range of activities and introducing new forms of joint engagement.
