Online platform on community-based services

Organization
Youth with Disabilities Forum Serbia
Country of Implementation
Serbia
Region
Europe
Subregion
Central and Eastern Europe
First published
31.01.2015

Through an online database the project brings together – and shares information among – existing and new community-based service providers in Serbia for young people with disabilities in three areas: education, employment, and social protection. In 2015 the project’s web portal was visited by up to 1,000 persons per month.

Solution details

People

Sladjana LEVIC
“The final users are directly involved in making future plans, which is one of the most important aspects of the program’s sustainability.” Sladjana LEVIC, Project Coordinator

Problems Targeted

Local governments lack the capacity to implement laws and regulations to conform to the new national Law on Social Protection. Also, there is an insufficient number of active service providers, and there is no sustainable mechanism for long-term implementation of community-based services.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

A survey and research were undertaken on the current situation in Serbia regarding community-based service providers and policy advancement, with the objective of providing solid evidence on the necessity to enlarge and strengthen these areas. In the second phase, an info portal was developed to provide insight into the development of support services and their territorial representation, and to serve as a guide on available support for current and potential donors as well as for service providers. Finally, five community-based services were newly established to cater to the needs of young people with disabilities and their families. In this process, cooperation of service providers and local government was recognized as a key factor for sustainability.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

The project initiated cooperation among local stakeholders, which will enable continuous ongoing consultation to improve the lives of persons with disabilities at the local level. The programs developed for capacity-building will be implemented in other projects, in other cities and local communities, since the need for such training programs was seen during the project implementation.

Media

Related information

Solutions with the same:

Country of Implementation

Serbia

Region of Implementation

Europe