FUNDATIA Pentru Voi Foundation Community services for people with intellectual disability

FUNDATIA Good Practices in Social Services Delivery for Children and Persons with Physical and Mental Disabilities Sofia, Bulgaria 8-12 November 2004

FUNDATIA

Who are we? is a non-governmental, non-profit organization Our goal: to increase the quality of life for persons with intellectual disabilities. Our philosophy: inclusion, built on the belief that all the people are equal and should be respected and valued, as an issue of human rights. Main values: 1.Dignity and worth of each person 2.Self determination 3.Equality despite differences 4.The ethic of solidarity

FUNDATIA Service users: 110 service users, adults with developmental disabilities and their families. Provided services: 1.Day Services 2.Residential services 3.Community support 4.Advocacy and Self-advocacy 5.Specialized training provider and publication editor

FUNDATIA Day services: a)Workshops: a)Workshops: Copy centre Tailoring Handcraft – decorations Gardening / Carpentry Bakery b)Supported employment b)Supported employment: job coaching for 15 people who have a job on the open market; vocational profile, job seeking, vocational training and social skills training for 30 people c)Day care centre c)Day care centre: three activity groups for persons with severe and multi-handicap or challenging behaviour.

FUNDATIA 2. Residential services a) DINA b) DINU c) LAURA 2. Residential services a) DINA – group home for eight persons coming from institutions or disadvantaged families b) DINU – group home for ten persons coming from institutions or disadvantaged families c) LAURA – independent living facility for three women coming from institutions 3. Community support a) Family support and counselling b) Social life and leisure c) Social accompaniment b) Social life and leisure – annual summer camp, Pentru Voi Club (disco, contests, games, birthday’s anniversaries) c) Social accompaniment 4. Advocacy and Self-advocacy 4. Advocacy and Self-advocacy Participations of our self-advocates in national and international conferences and events; summer school on self-advocacy; continuous support through training sessions for 80 self-advocates

FUNDATIA Supported employment: Vocational profile Vocational training Social skills training Job seeking Job analyse Matching Advocacy Support in the recruitment process Job coach: depending on the individual needs

FUNDATIA Bakery Social enterprise Workshop and Training program Business Challenges for the whole organisation: training with Nesst Bread for the centre Contract with the social cantina of the Town hall: 300 breads /day

FUNDATIA The day centre Pentru Voi with supported living:  A public-private partnership between Pentru Voi Foundation and Timisoara Town Hall  A community- based service  Financed by the local budget of the city of Timisora  The legal base: a partnership agreement approved by the Local council of Timisoara  Public institution  Coordination methodologically: The National Authority for people with handicap

FUNDATIA Success factors: Involvement of parents in the leadership of the foundation – motivation Permanent support from foreign NGOs: national (Holland, Sweden) and international: Inclusion Europe, Inclusion international Grants from different donors: OSI, CNF, EU, SHIA, MATRA, Rotary international The wisdom and receptivity of the Town Hall of Timisoara

FUNDATIA The permanent cooperation with NAPH, the Delegation of EU, The commission of EU- DG Enlargement The involvement in the development of a strong national parents organisation Permanent lobby Strong motivation of leadership and staff

FUNDATIA National level: In the last 14 years: a concerted effort of the Government to end this treatment especially of children. considerable investment from the international community, including the EU Phare assistance programs, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bank for the development of the European Council and well as many individual European governments and NGOs The effect of this support was diminished by the lack of a national strategy in the field of disability

FUNDATIA Elaboration of the national Strategy February 2000, we took the incentive of setting up a group of 50 NGOs together with representatives of the State Secretariat for Persons with Handicap, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection we have agreed on a draft of a National Strategy on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Handicap at a national conference where keynote speaker was UN Special Rapporteur on Disability, Mr. Bengt Lindqvist.

FUNDATIA Lobby for strategy Six month after the conference - a follow up workshop attended by Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne the European Parliament Rapporteur for Romania. Finally, the Romanian Government has approved on 31st October 2002, the National Strategy for the Special Protection and Social Integration of Disabled People in Romania The adoption of this National Strategy is an example of good practice of public – private partnership between the Government – the State Secretariat for People with handicap - and NGOs.

FUNDATIA Twinning light projects Finalisation of the Romanian National Strategy for Disabled Persons and Elaboration of the Action Plan for the period Training of specialists and Staff of Central and Local Authorities for the Implementation of the National Strategy

FUNDATIA Some people look at things as they are and ask” why?” I dream at things that never were and ask “why not?” Bernard Shaw

FUNDATIA Ersing, R., Loeffler, D. N., Tracy, M. B., & Onu, L. (2007). Pentru Voi Fundatia: Interdisciplinary Community Development, Using Social Enterprise in Romania. Journal of Community Practice, 15 (1-2), Ersing, R., Loeffler, D. N., Tracy, M. B., & Onu, L. (2007). In A. E. Johnson Butterfield & Y. Korazim- Korosy (eds.). Interdisciplinary Community Development: International Perspectives (pp ). Haworth Press.