Children with disabilities benefit from staff training & support
World Vision’s work in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, seeks to build the capacity of public services to develop early intervention services for children with disabilities. The approach aims to keep children out of institutions by giving parents and families the support they need to care for children in the home and to also rehabilitate children to help them reach their full potential.
Staff from “Saint Mary” Placement Centre in sector 5 has been trained by World Vision’s team and volunteers to work with children with disabilities up to six years of age who are referred by the Child Protection Department.
“The Centre for Children with Disabilities has worked in partnership with World Vision since 2007. Our staff needs up-to-date training on working with these special children. The diagnoses of the children committed here range from profound autism to Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and tetra paresis. It is no easy task to take care of them; we have to admit that our caregivers are few and under trained…” says pediatric doctor Marianthi Encica.
It is no easy task to take care of them; we have to admit that our caregivers are few and under trained… Currently the State is not giving these children the attention they desperately need. The work of the specialists, such as kinetic therapists, psychologists and masseurs, is underpaid. Whenever they get the chance, they leave, accepting easier, better paid jobs. Children from St Mary Centre have already seen this happening in past years.
At the centre the caregivers are often not qualified to work with children with physical and/or mental disabilities. Yet these people want to be trained and meet dedicated people who can offer role models of professionalism.
Noor Verger, a specialist and a volunteer from the Netherlands, came and talked to the staff about the importance of using music, aromatic oils and creating a special atmosphere in therapeutic massage. She offered one-on-one training for Antoaneta, the masseur of the centre. Then Noor and Antoaneta worked closely to give a massage course for the caregivers to teach them how to best manoeuvre children given their specific disability.
“The children with tetra paresis cannot hold their heads up by themselves. If you don’t know how to move them you can induce permanent damage. Our caregivers are more attentive and skilful now. It looks to me that they are pleased to have improved their knowledge and understanding about these children”, explains Dr. Encica.
World Vision project staff also offered a support course for the caregivers, focusing on the atypical conduct of children with severe disabilities. The course gave information about the way in which atypical behaviour can be turned into functional behaviour, and the children can be empowered to do things on their own. Taking the dishes to the kitchen after they eat the meal and the clothes to the laundry basket can easily be turned into autonomous conduct, which becomes essential in children’s progress.
“Atypical children’s behaviour and gestures can easily be interpreted as threats or defiance by people who do not know how to work with them. It is important that caretakers know what to expect and how to treat these children”, says Mariana Arnautu, World Vision project coordinator.
World Vision also enabled students from the Faculty of Social Work in Bucharest to visit the centre on a weekly basis to play with the children. “We wanted to show the personnel that interacting with children through games is easier than any other way”, continued Arnautu.
Interaction with specialists that can pass on their knowledge and good practices seems to be an important incentive for the team of the centre. Dr Renee McDanell, occupational therapist and World Vision volunteer, came to the centre to evaluate the children. She identified their level of development and made recommendations for the methods to be used in order for them to reach the next level. Diana Paraschiv, kinetic therapist remembers her work with Dr. McDanell and talks enthusiastically about it.
“I saw the way a thorough evaluation of the children was made and I also found out the level of development for each of the children. From a professional point of view this has been a turning point for me. I worked for two years in a rehabilitation centre and I have never witnessed such a process before. It helped me to adjust the rehabilitating method to the specific demands of each child” says the young kinetic therapist.
the evaluation of the children has been a turning point for me. It helped to adjust the rehabilitating method to the specific demands of each child Diana has worked with the evaluation kit brought by Dr McDanell and used this experience to create a similar kit for the centre. “We did not have anything like that before but now we have one. We did our best to adapt what we have, we used our imagination and it worked. It was really inspiring to work with people like Renee!”
World Vision also supported the centre financially. “The organisation helped us a lot, with school supplies, medicine (drugs), nappies/diapers, toys, transportation for children whenever we needed to take them to hospital,. World Vision also funded a play room, with occupational therapy toys and provided the air conditioning”, says Dr. Encica.
Over the past year the centre has also been thoroughly renovated. A dimly-lit, labyrinth structure lacking fresh air is now a more open and inviting space. It also has a brand new room for physical therapy, which was almost entirely equipped by World Vision.
“The new room for kinetic therapy is super. We even have a therapy table, big and sturdy, it can stand any movements and manoeuvres”, says a newly employed kinetic therapist. Mirela Baltaretu cannot wait to start working with the children in the new room.
Staff from “Saint Mary” Placement Centre in sector 5 has been trained by World Vision’s team and volunteers to work with children with disabilities up to six years of age who are referred by the Child Protection Department.
“The Centre for Children with Disabilities has worked in partnership with World Vision since 2007. Our staff needs up-to-date training on working with these special children. The diagnoses of the children committed here range from profound autism to Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and tetra paresis. It is no easy task to take care of them; we have to admit that our caregivers are few and under trained…” says pediatric doctor Marianthi Encica.
It is no easy task to take care of them; we have to admit that our caregivers are few and under trained… Currently the State is not giving these children the attention they desperately need. The work of the specialists, such as kinetic therapists, psychologists and masseurs, is underpaid. Whenever they get the chance, they leave, accepting easier, better paid jobs. Children from St Mary Centre have already seen this happening in past years.
At the centre the caregivers are often not qualified to work with children with physical and/or mental disabilities. Yet these people want to be trained and meet dedicated people who can offer role models of professionalism.
Noor Verger, a specialist and a volunteer from the Netherlands, came and talked to the staff about the importance of using music, aromatic oils and creating a special atmosphere in therapeutic massage. She offered one-on-one training for Antoaneta, the masseur of the centre. Then Noor and Antoaneta worked closely to give a massage course for the caregivers to teach them how to best manoeuvre children given their specific disability.
“The children with tetra paresis cannot hold their heads up by themselves. If you don’t know how to move them you can induce permanent damage. Our caregivers are more attentive and skilful now. It looks to me that they are pleased to have improved their knowledge and understanding about these children”, explains Dr. Encica.
World Vision project staff also offered a support course for the caregivers, focusing on the atypical conduct of children with severe disabilities. The course gave information about the way in which atypical behaviour can be turned into functional behaviour, and the children can be empowered to do things on their own. Taking the dishes to the kitchen after they eat the meal and the clothes to the laundry basket can easily be turned into autonomous conduct, which becomes essential in children’s progress.
“Atypical children’s behaviour and gestures can easily be interpreted as threats or defiance by people who do not know how to work with them. It is important that caretakers know what to expect and how to treat these children”, says Mariana Arnautu, World Vision project coordinator.
World Vision also enabled students from the Faculty of Social Work in Bucharest to visit the centre on a weekly basis to play with the children. “We wanted to show the personnel that interacting with children through games is easier than any other way”, continued Arnautu.
Interaction with specialists that can pass on their knowledge and good practices seems to be an important incentive for the team of the centre. Dr Renee McDanell, occupational therapist and World Vision volunteer, came to the centre to evaluate the children. She identified their level of development and made recommendations for the methods to be used in order for them to reach the next level. Diana Paraschiv, kinetic therapist remembers her work with Dr. McDanell and talks enthusiastically about it.
“I saw the way a thorough evaluation of the children was made and I also found out the level of development for each of the children. From a professional point of view this has been a turning point for me. I worked for two years in a rehabilitation centre and I have never witnessed such a process before. It helped me to adjust the rehabilitating method to the specific demands of each child” says the young kinetic therapist.
the evaluation of the children has been a turning point for me. It helped to adjust the rehabilitating method to the specific demands of each child Diana has worked with the evaluation kit brought by Dr McDanell and used this experience to create a similar kit for the centre. “We did not have anything like that before but now we have one. We did our best to adapt what we have, we used our imagination and it worked. It was really inspiring to work with people like Renee!”
World Vision also supported the centre financially. “The organisation helped us a lot, with school supplies, medicine (drugs), nappies/diapers, toys, transportation for children whenever we needed to take them to hospital,. World Vision also funded a play room, with occupational therapy toys and provided the air conditioning”, says Dr. Encica.
Over the past year the centre has also been thoroughly renovated. A dimly-lit, labyrinth structure lacking fresh air is now a more open and inviting space. It also has a brand new room for physical therapy, which was almost entirely equipped by World Vision.
“The new room for kinetic therapy is super. We even have a therapy table, big and sturdy, it can stand any movements and manoeuvres”, says a newly employed kinetic therapist. Mirela Baltaretu cannot wait to start working with the children in the new room.
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