Improving Local Services for Children and Families - the First Intersectoral Meeting of the City of Nis Held

Within the framework of the Programme “PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature”, the first intersectoral meeting of the City of Nis was held to improve the quality of local services for children and families – Family-Oriented Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities and their Families (PORI).

Improvement of services such as day care, home assistance, family counseling, and other innovative services will be implemented over the next two years in collaboration with UNICEF Serbia, as part of the Programme “PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature” , jointly implemented by the United Nations agencies in Serbia - UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNEP, in collaboration with the Government of Serbia and with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland.

The importance of intersectoral cooperation was confirmed, and the establishment of a permanent intersectoral working body focusing on parenting issues with a special focus on parents of the youngest children from particularly vulnerable categories was proposed at the meeting attended by representatives of the Nis city administration, led by Deputy Mayor Dusica Davidovic, representatives of the primary health center, center for social welfare, the Center for Social Welfare Services “Mara”, the Nis Institute of Public Health, representatives of the preschool institution and the Nis School Administration, as well as the representatives of the local PORI team, the Association of Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities "DAN", as well as representatives of UNICEF and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities.

The need for collaboration among all municipalities and relevant institutions in the Nisava District to improve cooperation in providing services to children with disabilities and their families was addressed at the meeting.