During the past few months, 20 professionals including Professional Support workers, Youth Workers, Social Workers, Prevention Executives and Psychologists, from Agenzija Sedqa, Agenzija Appogg and Agenzija Sapport within the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, benefited from two projects that fall under the European Union’s Leonardo da Vinci Mobility Programme. The Leonardo da Vinci Mobility Programme assists professionals in training activities to help them acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to facilitate their development in a professional context.
Professionals from Agenzija Sedqa and Agenzija Appogg participated in Enhancing Professional Skill Development of Local Professionals Who Support Adoloscents; staff members from Agenzija Sapport benefited from the second Leonardo da Vinci Project entitled Working towards Independent Living and Employability for Persons with a Disability. These programmes consisted mainly of placements at agencies abroad, mainly in Ireland, UK, Sweden, Wales and Lithuania. The two projects were successfully selected through the National Agency, European Union Programme Agency (EUPA). The aim of the EUPA has always been to support Maltese individuals and entities in availing themselves of funding under the various educational programmes provided by the European Commission.
Project 1 – Enhancing Professional Skill Development of Local Professionals Who Support Adoloscents
This programme targeted professionals from Agenzija Sedqa and Agenzija Appogg who work with young people and adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. The focus was on sections specialising on young people who have a substance misuse problem and young people with behavioural and emotional difficulties.
The beneficiaries acquired knowledge on the best practices adopted and implemented within services that support young persons in other EU countries. This has also triggered off ideas on how these services can be adapted and implemented on a local level. The foreign placements provided Appogg and Sedqa professionals with the opportunity to further enhance their skills in understanding adolescents’ development, problems in adolescence, and therapeutic methods of intervention. Most importantly, this project generated further awareness and confirmed the importance of integrating young persons at risk.
Host organisations
As part of the Enhancing Professional Skill Development of Local Professionals Who Support Adoloscents programme, Appogg and Sedqa beneficiaries visited three host organisations in Ireland, England and Wales.
Include Youth
Belfast, Ireland
Include Youth (www.includeyouth.org) is an independent organisation that actively promotes the best interests of and best practice with young people in need or at risk. It works in partnership with relevant agencies, groups and organisations within the fields of social care, education and criminal justice.
D’n’A Services for Young People
Newcastle, UK
D’n’A Services for Young People (www.dnanewcastle.
com) is a multi-disciplinary team that provides a wide range of interventions to young people to tackle problematic drug and alcohol use. The main aim of D’n’A Services for Young People is clearly stated in its mission statement, which states that the organisation aspires to “provide an accessible targeted prevention, early intervention and planned treatment services for young people across Newcastle”. The D’n’A Services for Young People are meant to promote physical and mental well-being, together with reducing the harm derived from the use of drugs and alcohol by young people. D’n’A could be defined as a one-stop-shop where case management is used to reach the needs of the clients using the organisation’s services.
Education and Children’s Services Department, Youth Services (www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk)
Carmarthenshire County Council, Wales
This Department is the source of the best possible youth work provision for all young people in Carmarthenshire. The services’ aim is to enable young people to achieve their full potential and play a full role in society. In order to achieve this, the Department provides services for all young people aged between 11 and 25, with an emphasis on the 11-19 years age group. The tactic used is that in every school, there are Youth Workers based to enable young people with difficulties to be supported.
Project 2 – Working towards Independent Living and Employability for Persons with Disabilites
Social Workers and Professional Support Workers from Agenzija Sapport participated in this second Leonardo da Vinci Project aimed towards improving independent living and employment opportunities for persons with a disability. Sapport staff from residential and community services, and from the Day Services, were exposed to practices, procedures and developments adopted by foreign agencies within this field, thus allowing skills development to the benefit of local service users. Another important aspect within this programme is that of networking with agencies in other European countries, which is a very useful means of exchanging information related to the disability field.
The project initiated due to a local rising need for people with a disability to be given a chance to be integrated within the workforce as active citizens and also to be given the possibility to live independently within their community.
Host organisations
As part of the Working towards Independent Living and Employability for Persons with Disabilites programme, Sapport beneficiaries visited three host organisations in Sweden, England and Lithuania.
Mencap
London, UK
Mencap (www.mencap.org.
uk), an organisation with branches in England, Ireland and Wales, works directly with people with a learning disability to change laws and services, challenge prejudice and directly support thousands of people with disabilities to live their lives as independently as possible.
Furthermore, Mencap, like Agenzija Sapport, runs residential and day care services. It also runs leisure groups that provide important means of support to many people with a learning disability, and their families.
Foreningen Salta BY
Sweden
Apart from being the name of the organisation, Foreningen Salta By (www.saltaby.se) is also the name of the village in Sweden where most of the services are concentrated. The services include a day centre, a specialised school and residential services for both adults and teenagers. The organisation caters for around 85 to 90 persons with a disability who are diagnosed with intellectual disability, autism and turret syndrome, ADHD, epilepsy, amongst others. The organisation does not cater for persons with physical disabilities.
Alytus Labour Market Training and Counselling Services
Lithuania
Alytus Labour Market Training Service carries out supervision of adult training programmes, and analyses requests for the licensing of training programmes in Alytus and Marijampole districts in Lithuania. Alytus Labour Market Training and Counselling Services cooperates with labour offices in the country and offer psychological and counselling for unemployed people. Professional and qualified Psychologists and Career Consultants carry out individual and group counselling programmes, which aim at supporting individuals in adapting changeable situations and integrating them into labour market. Their target groups are the following:
• Unemployed
• Students and their parents
• Teachers
• Employers
• People at risk of exclusion from the labour market, such as ex-prisoners and persons with a disability, etc.
Testimonials by beneficiaries
“The experience at Include Youth was one that managed to change, yet again, my perspective and methods of youth work. Although rather seasoned in the job, this very vibrant, enthusiastic agency has showed me how very challenging behaviour can be channelled to be productive for the young person and for society in general. I was able to experience firsthand how carefully chosen work placements and entrepreneuring experiences have encouraged very disaffected young people to yet again pick up the pieces of their lives and move forward. The experience was also one which felt invigorating and inspired me to never give up on any young person.”
Remona Cuschieri, Team Leader of Sedqa Teen Support Services
Beneficiary of Enhancing Professional Skill Development of Local Professionals Who Support Adoloscents Project; hosted by Include Youth, Belfast.
“During this experience, I had the opportunity to become acquainted with Ireland’s care system, residential settings and justice centres. I was very impressed by these systems and made myself eager to voice out the need for Malta to urgently provide more residential homes for young people with mental health problems and a juvenile justice centre.
This experience and the workers which I met helped me to be more confident and invest more energy in my daily work. It also made me appreciate more the services offered in Malta and made me feel proud that even though we lack specific services as seen in Ireland, we still do our best and try to be flexible so to meet the young people’s needs.”
Laura Fenech, Social Worker within the Appogg Looked After Children Service
Beneficiary of Enhancing Professional Skill Development of Local Professionals Who Support Adoloscents Project; hosted by Include Youth, Belfast.
“The experience that I had in Sweden is one that I will treasure throughout my whole life. I had just started to work as a Social Worker at the Day Services for Persons with a Disability. Seeing how other countries are progressing in order to meet the needs of persons with a disability has enhanced my knowledge. In fact, within the Fleur-De-Lys Day Services we have started to formulate an individualised programme, tailored for the needs and choices of each client who makes use of the centre’s services. Furthermore, we are trying to present this programme in an interactive way in order to facilitate clients’ understanding. This technique was used within the Day Centres I had the opportunity to visit in Sweden. Such initiatives could be implemented locally within Agenzija Sapport’s Day Services in the near future.”
Maria Theresa Aquilina, Social Worker within Sapport, Fleur-De-Lys Day Services
Beneficiary of Working towards Independent Living and Employability for Persons with Disabilites Project; hosted by Foreningen Salta BY, Sweden.
“During the one-week placement I had with Mencap UK, I was given the opportunity to visit the Mencap offices, interact with the staff from Mencap and visit various residential homes for persons with disabilities. I noticed that some of the practices used here are already used by Sapport Residential Services, however I also noticed that some practices would improve our work and the way the system works in Malta. Possible improvements and other practices adopted by Mencap which we noticed during this placement are being shared with different residential homes for persons with a disability in Malta in order to try and provide a better service for persons with disabilities.”
Carmen Burmingham, Service Area Leader within Sapport Social Work Services
Beneficiary of Working towards Independent Living and Employability for Persons with Disabilites Project; hosted by Mencap, London, UK.
Dissemination Conference July 2009
An important part of the project involves the dissemination of the outcomes obtained. Thus, the Training Office within the Foundation for Social Welfare Services is holding a dissemination conference later on this month, during which the beneficiaries of both programmes will have the opportunity to disseminate the knowledge gained during their placements abroad to other professionals both with the Foundation and other local entities working in the respective fields.
Presentations will also be given by three foreign representatives from the hosting agencies that participated in these programmes.
This project has been funded with the support of the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission or the National Agency cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
The Foundation for Social Welfare Services incorporates Agenzija Sedqa www.sedqa.gov.mt, Agenzija Appogg (www.appogg.gov.mt) and Agenzija Sapport (www.sapport.gov.mt).