Boy reading, KG Kotayk, Armenia…
MAJOR PRIORITIES
- Lisa
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Boy reading, KG Kotayk, Armenia
MAJOR PRIORITIES
1. Our priorities and why they are important
The SI-1 of Long-term family based care for children in need: Lead the way having been a priority area of work, its core focus has been on the implementation of the SOS Childrens Village Manual. With an increased number of young people under the care of the organisation strong focus will be on youth care, particularly their emotional stability, the professional orientation and their housing. The second CV in Armenia having been planned to established in Idjevan is expected to become a majour step on our way to a lead organisation, and its construction and preparation will be the highight of our activities. The premises of KOTAYK CV, being in operation for more than 15 years, need quality improvement and maintenance, therefore, parallel to the construction of the Idjevan CV, we will also put efforts to improve the living and working conditions in the existing village, namely by repairing more family houses.
The SI- 2 of Prevention of child abandonment: Strengthening the family is the second important direction of our work for the coming years. Given the growing tendency of child abandonment and based on the experience gained during the implementation of the project in Gyumry, SOS Armenia will try to continue cooperating with our partners in Gyumry to ensure sustainability and will also seek for new partners to extend this experience in the areas where SOS resources and facilities are located ,namely in Yerevan and Tavush Province, the capital town of which is Idjevan. In 2007 we will start a new project in Kanaler-Zeytun District of Yerevan and in 2008 a new project in Idjevan.
The Development of Human Resources will be our next majour priority area of work. We will continue the implementation process of the HR manual by regular evaluation of the activities undertaken and by developing new action plans. On the one hand the focus will be on the SOS mothers and YF educators, - to ensure the required care quality and, on the other hand, we will focus on further quality improvement of the supporting and coordinating staff. We will seek to enhance the personnel administration and bring it in line with the HR manual standards and the requirements of the new Labour Law. To ensure personnel reserves and to reduce costs we will strengthen our efforts in involving volunteers in the activities of the facilities and the NO.
The International participation and partnership is another area of work that is prioritised by our organisation. SOS, being a member of an International non-governmental organisation is seeking to reach a solid recognition by the community of international organisations and with the Core Policy Paper released we seek to Raise public awareness on SOS CV and ensure a solid standing as leading organisation in long-term family based care. We plan to join the networks of international organisations and not only to participate in debates related to childrens rights and child care but also to identify new NGOs interested in cooperating with SOS CV Armenia and initiate joint projects.
With a history of almost of 16 years, the SI- 7 of Research to state our results and bring innovation is importance of our organisation to assess the effectiveness of the model in the country and to compare it with the other forms of care provided for the orphaned and parentless children. The research will also help us learn to share knowledge, exchange experiences and create a network of interested people and the research will become an important source for our further activities.
The recent efforts have made positive changes in the implementation of the SI-5 - External Recognition of the SOS family child-care model and SOS mother profession. Yet, the model of our care is very often misinterpreted even by those who have put their signatures. We seek to consistently strengthen the process of external recognition of both of our child care model and the SOS mother profession, by further improvement of our cooperation with the state structures and local authorities. In the longer run, we plan to discuss possibilities to make further clarifications related to the peculiarities of the SOS child care model and the employment of SOS mothers with the legislative bodies.
- Mary
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the nursery toys in Kotayk, Armenia
2. Changes in our environment which led to our objectives
After almost a decade of hardships caused by man-made and natural cataclysms, Armenia is slowly moving towards development. The development trends acknowledged by various international structures have been observed both in economic and social fields, namely apart from the reforms aimed at economic development, at present the State has made strong focus on social development and reforms. Yet, typical to the countries in transition, the shift from the centrally commanded to a market-oriented economy continuously causes social polarisation with all its possible negative outcomes poverty, unemployment and under-employment, economic migration, which in its turn has lead to family disintegration and increased the social risks of child abandonment.
With the enactment of the new Labour Law, with the elaboration of standards for child care institutions, with the state policy of Poverty Alleviation, Deinstitutionalisation of Children and implementation of Foster Care models, as well as with a policy to establish countrywide Structures of Child Protection, the country has made a radical step forward towards social development.
The social reforms have been followed by reforms in the educational system, and effective 01 September 2006 the schools shifted to a 12-yearly system. Combined with the Optimisation reform, this has become another catalyser of polarisation in public schooling, leaving very little chances for the remote rural schools to develop without state, public or any other form of support.
In this dynamics, SOS CV has also made considerable improvements and has gained a solid standing in the social market and a solid acknowledgment by the State. Our planning seeks to strengthen our position, not only in social development but also in the field of education,. which in its turn is seen as an important step towards more effective support we can offer to the children in need, to their families and to their respective communities.
LONG-TERM FAMILY BASED CARE FOR CHILDREN IN NEED: LEAD THE WAY (SI 1)
The core of the work of the organisation is the quality of care we provide for the children. We seek to maintain the achievements of the past and to further develop our care quality . For the coming two years, the focus will be on establishing the second CV in Idjevan. Yet, this will be a parallel process to our ongoing efforts in supporting the implementation of the CV manual and development plans of the KG and the YFs. With step by step approach to meet the standards of the CV Manual, we seek to become a leading child care organisation, which can take place with well developed structures. Hence, we seek to increase the quality of work of the KG and seek for new advanced approaches for cooperation with the educational institutions and schools. To ensure harmonious and care and education, we also plan to support the development of those schools that most of our children attend. The focus will be in supporting the 2 schools from neighbouring communities.
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