SOCIAL COACHING1. FUNCTION AND TARGETS
Mission Statement Social coaching is a neighbourhood and/or non-professional service aimed at supporting parents in handling educational tasks. Target Promoting a positive development of the child and a good relationship between parents and their children Strengthening the parents in fulfilling their tasks Enabling parents and children to positively deal with the requirements of school Ensuring good progress of children at school Relieving parents of overstrain in specific situations Enabling children and adolescents to form a positive attitude towards learning (this not the typical tutorship) Winning parents over to a sustainable culture of learning that is interested in the educational progress 1.2. Target Group
Minors whose well-being is or may be jeopardized. This comprises precarious life conditions entailing the danger of disintegration or menacing a successful mental development so that the formation of the ability to meet the challenges of life becomes unlikely Restricted parental care because of illness
If efforts to solve conflicts within the family requiring a qualified intervention predominate If nothing but tutorship is needed In case of foster placement according to the Styrian Youth Welfare Law 1991 (no circumvention of the legislation concerning foster children) If the aspect of compensation for missing care by an adult reference person prevails
The most lenient measure leading to the desired results is to be chosen. The choice has to be guided by the principles of expediency, objectivity and low cost. At the macro level attention must be paid to the continuity of embedding into a social environment Supporting and problem solving measures are to be organized according to the following principles: perceiving, structuring, participating, regarding as possible. They have to be tailored to the clients and their life setting. 2. SERVICES OFFERED
The service, which is to be divided into a stage of planning and a stage of action, has to be guided by concepts of infant pedagogy, theory of attachment, social pedagogy and social work: Empowerment Case management (continuity of care) Networking Life world-oriented child/youth care Support in life management
The care work is based upon practical pedagogical competence of the caregiver and should particularly meet the following aims: To extend and enhance the parents’ educational capacities, their ability to care for the child and their repertory of actions To achieve a target-aimed and motivating attitude towards learning (which exceeds the scope of typical tutorship) Achieving the parents’ presence, control and support of the children/adolescents
Instruction and support of (future) parents in preparing for their parenthood (care for and support of the children, household management, structuring of everyday life and leisure time activities) Assisting, supporting and encouraging children in school-related matters, in organizing their everyday lives and their leisure time, and in finding friends Conversations and practical exercises involving children/adolescents and parents The service is to be provided as follows: The care is provided by the hour, dispersed over all days of the week at different times of the day, with one contact per week as a minimum. The time needed is to be recorded in a monthly report for each family individually. The care is provided according to the agreement with the competent youth welfare authority and the granted range of services according to the care contract. 3. QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Locations The care is provided in the apartment of either the caregiver or the client. The place of dwelling of the caregiver should be accessible by public transport
Overall staff requirements Target Value: One caregiver works with one family as a maximum (one family or one child, respectively - in exceptional cases, e.g. brothers and sisters, two children can be cared for at the same time) Qualification: The qualification has to meet the demands of the specific service. As this is a non-professional service, no special professional training or qualification is expected. Basic social and pedagogical knowledge is an advantage. Special attention has to be paid to personal aptitude and conduct of life: Legal age Integrity Personal aptitude: Capability of development Ability to withstand stress Ability to build up personal relationships Reflectivity Ability to dissociate oneself from the client still preserving empathy Sense of responsibility Discretion Communicative competence Unbiased attitude Positive life experience Experience in dealing with children
The client-related documentation has to comprise in particular: The contract of care Records of an evaluation talk with the competent youth welfare authority / the certified social worker in charge of the case The targets of the care work are established by the certified social worker in charge of the case and the youth welfare authority.
The individual success of the measures taken is verified by the youth welfare authority. |