In September 2016, in partnership with UNICEF office in Skopje, Health Education and Research Association – HERA, launched an innovative project to establish local inter-sectoral teams that will act in cases of children victims of violence, in order to strengthen the coordinated approach to child protection.
Therefore, a training toolkit was prepared during 2017, followed by training for trainers, in which 14 professionals from different sectors (including Centres for social work, education, health, the Police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the civil sector) received certificates for national trainers, that is, they can train cross-sector teams for dealing with cases of children victims of violence. Protocol for work of these teams has been prepared, as well as practical manuals for professionals in education and health system, in order to improve their skills and knowledge for identifying violence against children and for adequate referral of these cases. Towards the end of 2017, four pilot – local multi-sectoral teams were established, in Skopje, Gostivar, Stip and Bitola. The teams are consisted of professionals from the local centres for social work, police stations, Public Prosecutor’s Office, gynaecologists, paediatricians, as well as members of the Bureau for Development of Education and representatives of civil society organizations.
These four local multi-sectoral teams include 65 professionals od all 6 sectors, who had additional training in 2018 for strengthening their skills and knowledge. Namely, the accent was put on improving the work with children with disability, victims of violence, and 2 two-days workshops were conducted for the members of the teams. The trainings were held on 27 – 28 April and 4 – 5 May 2018 in Skopje, and the trainers were Vlado Krstovski, Republic Centre – PORAKA, Tanja Stankova – Special Educator and rehabilitator and Vesna Matevska, HERA.
Through the content of the trainings for working with children with disability- victims of violence, the participants gained basic theoretical, and also practical knowledge and skills regarding disability, the existing classification of disability, the main characteristics of different types of disability. Furthermore, legal implications in dealing with child victims were covered, as well as practical guidelines for conducting a conversation with a child victim in accordance with different types of disability. Additionally, a significant part pf the training was aimed at prevalence of violence in children with disability, the most common causes and consequences, and how to deal with a case of violence against a child with disability. Participants were particularly interested in the practical communication tools with children with disability, which are indeed necessary in their everyday work.
