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42
Dmitry Smirnov
Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical University Department of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (1 year master's program)
INNOVATIVE MODELS OF THE ACTIVITY ORGANIZATION AIMED AT THE PREVENTION OF FAMILY TROUBLE IN THE TULA REGION
Annotation:
The article presents the model of work aimed at prevention of family problems, developed in frame of the regional pilot project "Step Forward". It contains detailed statistics for disadvantaged families in Tula and Tula region. We analyzed innovative content, a variety of forms, methods and technologies of family and children's social services in Tula region.
Аннотация:
В статье представлены модели организации работы по профилактике семейного неблагополучия, разработанные в рамках регионального пилотного проекта «Шаг навстречу». Указана подробная статистика по неблагополучным семьям в Туле и Тульской области. Проанализировано инновационное содержание, разнообразие форм, методов и технологий работы специалистов учреждений социального обслуживания семьи и детей Тульской области с семьями.
Keywords:
dysfunctional family, marital distress, social work, model, prevention, technology and innovation.
Ключевые слова:
неблагополучная семья, семейное неблагополучие, социальная работа, модель, профилактика, технологии, инновации.
The problems of the family in modern Russia refer to the most important and urgent ones.
Families in the Tula Region and in Russia as a whole, are faced with serious problems, which, can be divided into external and internal ones, although in reality they are intertwined and reflected in each other. External problems are caused by socio-economic situation in the country, in the region; and internal problems are conditioned to the long-term development of the family institution, the deployment of its own contradictions. Family provides the economic, social, psychological and physical safety and security of its members. However, today, in order to fully implement the prescribed public functions, many families are in need of help and support from the outside, and such assistance should not be
one-time but constant, guaranteed, and addressed. Dysfunctional families especially need such help [3, p. 42].
Family trouble is often a source of social instability, child neglect, homelessness, social orphanhood and, consequently, juvenile delinquency.
The current unfavorable demographic situation in the Tula Region dictates the necessity to preserve existing families by improving a system of social assistance and support for this purpose. The priority of the social policy is to implement new ideas and developments, to generate them in the Tula Region and in Russia as a whole [1, p. 5].
It is known that the disease is easier to prevent than to treat. This concept can also be applied to social diseases which include family trouble, as well.
Problems of dysfunctional families are regulated at the legislative level of the Russian Federation and at the level of legislative and executive bodies of subjects of the Russian Federation including the Tula Region. In 2008, the Department of Social Development of the Tula Region has developed and implemented the regional pilot project "Step Forward" aimed at the development, testing and implementation of effective social assistance models for the families and children in difficult situations. It has realized by social service institutions for families and children of the Tula Region. In this project, the family is considered not only as a consumer of services but also as an equal partner of the interaction. The main idea of the project is the so-called "step up"-a step forward to the preservation of the family, «Let's keep the family for the child and to keep the child in the family».
The total of 6 models for the prevention of family trouble has been created.
Nine institutions of social services for families and children in Tula and Tula region began basic sites to simulate models.
Let us dwell on the six models and consider our regional experience in the prevention of family trouble.
Model «Time to be close» (the city of Tula and Leninsky district).
The problem of interdepartmental interaction in the system to prevent neglect and juvenile delinquency remains urgent during work with families. Each department has its own data bank on children and families with restricted access to experts of other institutions. Disunity in the operations of different departments gives fragmented and unsystematic base for prevention activity. Four institutions have joined forces and work experience to resolve this problem in the Tula region: «Social and Rehabilitation Centers for Minors №1 and №3»; «Center of assistance to children without parental care»; «Tula comprehensive social services center in Zarechje district».
Different institutions, have served 934 minors, of whom: 100 families are at social risk at the moment of realization of this project.
• returned to their families - 188,
• transferred to foster families - 45,
• sent to orphanages - 106.
More than 350 families are registered in the offices of patronage assistance to families and children [2, p. 4].
During the realization of the project, 4426 families of various dysfunctionality degrees (, who are at definite dysfunctional level) with children aged 0 to 3 years have been registered in health institutions, thus in the bodies of social protection there have been 392 families [2, p. 5].
The conducted analysis of the categories of children and families accepted by the establishment at the time of the project realization allowed identifying the most vulnerable groups of the population, that could be categorized as a "family caught in a socially dangerous situation": pregnant minors and young mothers; leavers of orphanages; families with minors aged 0 to 3 years; families with juveniles in conflict with the law, family planning to create a substitute family and functioning foster families. All these groups, before the project, have not been marked out as an object of the institutions' targeted work for the prevention of family trouble.
The implementation of the model let define the target groups, with which preventive and remedial work has not been conducted previously; build a new mechanism for inter-agency cooperation; introduce the practice of the institution transient forms for families and children's services.
Model of the work organization for the prevention of family trouble in single-parent families «Lifebuoy» (Aleksindistrict and Zaoks district).
In this case, the experts of support department for families and children are situated in the two districts - Aleksinand Zaoksk, that gives an opportunity to timely provide social assistance to families. The interagency cooperation provides comprehensive support to families with using opportunities of all social partners.
The model uses a combination of asserting and declarative nature of requests for assistance, families can address to the department with an application for provision of social assistance and support. If the family does not want to get help, department's specialists and particular institutions, which prevent neglect and juvenile delinquency identify such families and organize preventive work [2, p. 19].
The most efficient technologies used in the framework of this model are outreach activities of mobile teams with intensive family therapy at home. This technology is based on the early detection of family trouble and social assistance at the stage of the problem without removing the child from the family. Cooperation with parents is built on equal partnerships that depend on the positive resources of the family.
«Cooperation» (Arsenyevo District and town Plavsk).
As part of an innovative model, the following target groups have been determined: families with children who are in difficult situations, and families with children who are at social risk.
The total number of families with children who are registered in Arsenevo department of social safety net:
■ settlement Arsenyevo - 13% (there are 58 children in 18 families)
■ municipal unit (MU) Bobrovskoye - 34% (there are 55 children in 17
families) [2, p. 35].
According to statistics data of Plavskiy social safety net department, 111 families with several children (69%) live in Plavsky district. The total number of families with children registered in the Plavsky social safety net department: in Plavsk - 20% (there are 162 children in 51 families). Four families have been living in Plavsk (8% of families with children) belong to the category of families at social risk [2, p. 36].
In this model, the following technologies are used:
■ outreach activities of mobile teams;
■ "active support of parents" (elements).
The mobile team consists of social educator, educational psychologist, legal advisor, social worker, physician, and inspector on affairs of minors. The essence of this technology lies in the fact that the rehabilitation takes place without a sharp change in the living conditions of the family. Family problems are resolved in the environment where they have occurred, and it does not require isolating the family from the usual social environment.
Active support of parents is the technology addressed to the functional families at the early stages of family trouble. The main goal of active parents' support is to start the process by which a competent team of professionals can explain parents how educate the child in a family, render early support for families that will allow more children to grow up confident, socially competent and responsible adults.
Model «Complex social support as a tool for problem solving of family trouble in outlying settlements: village Gremyacheye, town Kimovsk «We are together»».
According to statistics data of Novomoskovsk Social safety net, the number of families in a difficult situation living in the village Gremyacheye has amounted to 56 families among them arern minors [2, p. 43].
According to the results of social diagnostics, it has revealed that 42% of households from the total number of families are in difficult situations, 3% of families are at risk [2, p. 44].
Social safety net of Kimovsk region, 82 disadvantaged families are registered. According to the results of social diagnostics, verification of filing, it has been confirmed that 88% of families are at social risk. The work on the model «We are together!» has included 72 families who are at risk and where 107 children are brought up [2, p. 45].
The center of social services committee for families and children in each of the two municipal units (in Novomoskovsk and Kimovsk districts), where is possible to get assistance for different categories of children and their families.
The work is conducted in two main directions:
■ children are supported by their birth families living in distant areas, who are engaged in the maintenance, upbringing and education of children and are able to take the necessary assistance from the social services despite family trouble and difficulties;
■ protection of the rights and interests of minors in birth families living in remote areas who are unable to cope with the functions of maintenance, upbringing and education of children.
The model «We are together!» uses the capabilities of local institutions and organizations and is actively working with the social partners.
Interdistrict model of organization aimed at prevention of family problems in large single-parent and two-parent families in difficult situations; in large single-parent and two-parent families at social risk "FAMILY - I, YOU, HE, AND SHE - TOGETHER ARE THE STRONG COUNTRY".
The model involves three districts: Efremov, Kamensk, Kurkino. These districts are the most distant from Tula.
in Efremov district - 3975 families need in social protection, they bring up 5570 children; the number of families at risk are 183 including 275 children (representing 2.7% of the total number of children);
in Kurkino area - 984 families are registered in departments of social safety net, including 1508 children; 54 families with 116 children are at social risk (this is 6.3% of the total number of children);
Kamensk district - 923 families are in need of social protection, including 1358 children; there are 43 families at social risk including 85 children (4.9%) [2,
p. 54].
Center specialists (psychologists, social educator) go to Kurkino and Kamensk districts at the request of social work professionals for individual work, group activities with families (meetings, counseling center, events) as well as interaction with a variety of organizations and institutions ready to assist in solving family problems (problem meetings with educators).
During work with families, the following technologies are applied:
■ «case-study»;
■ intensive family therapy at home.
The novelty of the model is in the creation of unified space characterized by different demographic and socio-economic indicator and level of infrastructure development in three districts of Tula Region for rehabilitation and adaptation of families in difficult situation or at social risk. Moreover, the novelty of the work lies in the fact that the work is not only with the child but also with his family, and the family is not seen as a consumer of services but as an equal partner of interaction.
Models of organization aimed at preventive work with the family trouble in single-parent families «My family is my hope» (Shchekino district, Tyoplo-Ogaryovo district).
The structure of Shchekinsky district includes 4 urban settlements and 5 rural settlements. The population is 109.7 thousand people [2, p. 78].
According to statistics data of Shchekino social safety net Committee, the number of families in need of social support is 3777 (they brought up 6027 children); the number of single-parent families is 1549 (including 2260 children).
The structure of Tyoplo-Ogaryovsky district includes 6 settlements. The population of the district is 13 000 people [2, p. 79].
According to data of Tyoplo-Ogaryovsky social safety net department, the number of families in need of social support is 1457 (they brought up 2082 children); the number of single-parent families is 97 (including 148 children) [2, p. 79].
In Shchekino district municipal unit, the work of specialists is built on the territory which is conventionally divided into 9 sections. Social work of the specialist at the territory of the Tyoplo-Ogaryovo district municipal units constructed by patronage and collaboration with educational institutions, public health agencies, administrations of rural settlements and other organizations; the specialist reveals the single-parent families with children at social risk, collects the necessary information about them and reports to the center. Once a quarter or more often, Shchekino district's specialists together with social partners go to the territory of Tyoplo-Ogaryovo district to provide social assistance to families living in this area. General guidance and methodological support of the work are carried out by the center. Thus, it is supported by systematic approach in the implementation of the model.
The technology of the district social service is widely used in the model.
This technology allows quickly solving issues for providing social services, address social, legal and psychological and educational support to families in the areas of the municipal unit. The work of experts' team in local service is based on a predetermined plan and includes comprehensive social survey, identification of the problem field, determination of the causes and consequences of ill-being which is built on the basis of further work to improve the family situation [3, p. 43].
The social effect of the project "Step Forward" represented on the slide:
■ Reducing the number of families with children at social risk;
■ Strengthening the educational capacity of families;
■ Creating the regional system of preventive, correctional and rehabilitation activity with families at the early stage of family trouble in terms of social partnership.
At the moment, in the Tula Region, the project «Step Forward» has a successor-the project «League of assistance». The aim is to build a single rehabilitation space of the Tula Region. The project began to operate in August, 2015 and will continue to use and develop the most effective methods, techniques, forms of work with troubled families.
References:
1. On the bases of social services for citizens in the Russian Federation: The order of the Ministry of Work and Social protection // Russian Newspaper. 2013. 30 dec. Available at: http://rg.ru/2013/12/30/socialka-dok.html (accessed 10.09.2015).
2. Prevention of family problems (models of organization of work): a collection of the results of the regional pilot project «Step Forward» / Belyovceva K., Makarova G., Zaharova V. Tula, 2011. 88 p.
3. Shahin E.G. Social services for families and children: Proc. Benefit. Tula, Tula State L.N.Tolstoy Pedagogical University, 2014. 47 p.
