Community Support Center – Dolna Mitropoliya

The Community Support Center (CSC) is a community-based social service designed for children and families with the aim to:

• prevent child abandonment and placement in specialized institutions;

• prevent violence;

• address behavioral problems and manifestations;

• reintegrate children;

• support families in difficult situations and communication issues;

• train prospective foster and adoptive parents;

• assess foster parents;

• support foster and adoptive parents;

• provide training in independent living skills and social integration for children from institutions and residential-type services.

The services at the CSC are provided on an hourly basis.
The service capacity is 30 places.

The CSC provides:

• general access and specialized services;

• preventive and supportive social services.

General access social services:

• information and counseling for exercising social rights and developing skills;

• mobile preventive community work – working within the community to prevent risks.

Specialized social services:

Information and counseling – social and psychological information and counseling on issues directly related to:

• raising and educating children;

• parental rights and responsibilities;

• working to explore and understand the problems and difficulties individuals face in achieving their primary goals;

• identifying and considering possible solutions and actions to overcome these issues.

Advocacy and mediation:

• guidance for working with institutions and organizations;

• accompaniment to or participation in meetings with representatives of institutions and organizations to ensure family access to available services;

• exercising rights – accompanying children involved in legal proceedings.

Therapy:
Activities aimed at:

• developing, restoring, maintaining, or improving social skills;

• self-care skills;

• communication;

• resolving emotional conflicts;

• behavior management;

• reducing anxiety;

• improving self-esteem;

• employment opportunities, and more.

Skills development training – for adults, youth, and children.

Team

The Center is staffed by:

• social workers;

• a pedagogue;

• psychologists;

• a speech therapist.

Trainings – group and individual:

• training and assessment of adoptive parent candidates under a Program approved by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy;

• training and assessment of foster parent candidates;

• parental skills training.

Access to services

The services at the CSC are free of charge and provided after submitting an Application for Use of Social Services to the Social Assistance Directorate (SAD) in the child’s place of residence and the issuance of a Referral for Use of Social Services by SAD, or based on a Preliminary Needs Assessment.