First Mentoring Meetings Held with Local Social Protection Service Providers for Children and Families

The mentoring support aims to further strengthen service providers in implementing the knowledge gained through training in their work with parents of children with disabilities. In the upcoming period, mentorship will focus on developing plans for implementing acquired knowledge, identifying challenges and obstacles in service provision, creating strategies for parental involvement, exchanging experiences, and identifying best practices. In addition to group mentoring meetings, service providers will also have access to individual mentoring support.

The first meeting, dedicated to daycare service providers for children with disabilities, focused on sharing experiences in working with parents, discussing challenges, and exploring ways to provide additional support. Participants were informed that they would receive guidelines for working with parents as a resource for further service development and family involvement.

The second meeting gathered home care service providers, who discussed opportunities for expanding the service to include children with developmental disabilities. The City Centre for Social Protection Services in Uzice shared a best practice example of delivering home care services to children with disabilities and its significance for families.

During the third meeting, providers of counselling services discussed ways to support parents of children with disabilities. The need for a structured program for working with parents was recognized, and service providers expressed their readiness to offer additional support to families.

The mentoring meetings were conducted as part of the “PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature” program, jointly implemented by United Nations agencies in Serbia – UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNEP, in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia and with financial support from the Government of Switzerland.