Working with Street Children in Hungary

Working with Street Children in Hungary Gelsei Bernadett

Introduction • Working with street children and regulation of the work goes back no more than 1.5 years in Hungary • The work is regulated under the Child Welfare Services section of the Child Protection Act

Relevant legislation Alternative day-care service,Article 51/A(1): Activities covered by the definition of children's day-care, i.e., activities regulated under Article 41(4) of the Gyvt. (Act on Child Protection and Legal Guardianship) (hereinafter referred to as "alternative day-care service") can be organized in line with local needs, and local circumstances and opportunities, and in accordance with the specific age-related requirements of the recipient target group in any building suitable for children’s group activities, such as in particular houses of community, culture and youth, at the premises of family and child welfare services, in schools, kindergartens, or any associated separate rooms thereof as well as playgrounds.

Forms of alternative day-care service, in particular • a) club activities related to sports and leisure, ensuring that children spend their time usefully and providing adult supervision, • b) indoor play activities that can be used to develop personal skills and abilities, to provide child rearing assistance for the family, and to strengthen the bond between parent and child; as well as integrative family games and playground events, • c) thematic personality development, self-help or peer-help group sessions organized for children burdened with the same, or comparable problems, or socially or otherwise disadvantaged children, in particular runaway youth, or children above the age of ten at risk for other reasons.

Persons and organizations providing alternative day-care services shall cooperate with the families of the children they are providing services to, as well as the competent institution of education, child welfare service, other persons or organizations providing healthcare or other services, in particular, if such cooperation is aimed at the elimination of circumstances, or any situation that endangers the child, or at taking the necessary measures, or action in the interest of the child.

The target group of alternative day care services are children aged 0-18. Most services care for children in early childhood (0-8), but there is a wide range of services provided for older children (6-14) as well Special target groups: socially underprivileged developmentally disturbed children with special educational needs raised in non-conventional (single-parent) families long and short term illnesses, conditions social or learning difficulties Aims and methods

Amis and methods • Alternative day care services are a relatively new phenomenom in Hungary • There is a growing number of services in various forms, contexts and quality within alternative day care.These services focus mainly on children aged • 0-8 • Because of this diversity the regulations, professional concepts and licences are not standardized or kept within a framework

Aims and methods • Education • Counselling, consultation • Skills development • Creative workshops (arts & crafts)

Aims and methods • Personality training • Therapy • Pedagogical, • Psychological, • Social , • Individual, group and community building activities

Social services and events • Cultural events • Recreation and leisure activities • Sport activities, events • Playrooms

Services offered to families / adults • Family support • Information • Counselling • Therapies

Educational activities Recreational activities and cultural programmes, events • Professional programmes, methodological trainings

Researchdata A research on alternative daycare services was conducted inHungary, in 2003, (Pálfi A, 2004), and examined recreational programmes offered to children and adolescents. Questionnaires were answered by 496 communities, 357 out of which provided alternative care, and 140 did not. The research indicated a variable distribution among the counties: no services were found in South-Transdanubia or in the northern part of The Great Plain.In two counties, Somogy and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, however, there was a large number of services. Based on the available data, services began to develop in the ‘80s and ‘90s, simoulatnously with the revival of the civil sector. Alternative daycare was regulated under the modification in 2002.

Research divided the programmes into the following categories: regular and seasonal playrooms, occasional family programmes, regular trips, theatre, sports, art clubs and other workshops, summer camps, personality training and adolescent groups, street children’s programmes and community centres. • Research found that child protection mainly focuses on regular playrooms. Their work is not controlled. More than a quarter of regular playrooms is provoded by the child welfare services. The majority focus on infants, but a number of playrooms provide recreational services for other age groups, too. The data has no information about treatment protocols of the facilities, so it isassumed that the majority does not even have one.

Group of services Children’s programmes Cultural, educational and recreational programmes are organised for children. These programmes care for both children and parents. A common characteristic of these programmes is that they are occasional, „oneoff” programmes. Clubs, workshop Playrooms, counselling, community programmes School, community centre, „childhouse”, children’s welfare services Art, cultural and recreational and sport programmmes, events, games and trips

Summer camps and children’s hostels • Summer camps offer recreational activities within an organised framework, for at least a one-week period, with the purpose of providing leisure and entertainment to children in suitable surrondings, other than their everyday environment.

Low threshold centres and outreach activities • Outreach programmes and organisations operate by involving youngsters in voluntary service. • In the focus of these complex and multilevel activities are the helping encounters and services, establishing and supporting the work of volunteers within their social context.

Harm reduction • Crisis intervention • Prevention education • Adolescent counselling (partner relationships, peer groups, career choices, emotions) • Adolescent behaviour problems (peer influence, substance abuse, violent and criminal behaviour) • Independence issues

Special services • Drop-in facilities provide services to drug users and Roma youngsters • Available mainly in the capital city of Budapest and some bigger towns • Alternative programmes for youngsters loiteing in shoppping malls

Drop-in • Deviant youth, hard to reach and high risk groups • Shelter function • Detoxication • First Aid • Crisis intervention • Information (about network) • Social support

Gyakorlatban megjelenő szolgáltatások Services in practice • Kapocs (Link) services are outreach organizations whose aim is to reach out to youngsters to encourage friendships with their peers, and to introduce professionals and services available to them, when facing the difficulties of adolescence. The youngsters’ encounters and networks are priorities for all these services.

As a response to the deficiencies of recreational facilities for estate children, in 1998, TheHungarian Maltese Charity Service,reached a large number of people through their „Playing prevention” programme. Playgrounds and indoor playroomswere developed within the project framework, where professionals organised clubs and activities for the local families and loitering youngsters, free of charge. The 100m2 indoor playgrounds allowed continuous opening hours in bad weather conditions.

Personal, group and community development activities are organised, while establishing an intimate, close relationship with the families. Playgrounds are mainly visited by mothers, toddlers and infants but there is also a large number of adolescents, too • Weekend and school holiday programmes are very important for loitering children.Most institutions are closed for the summer, so other facilities are needed.

Stopgroup Foundation • Anyone can drop in, whether for information or with a bigger problem, we try to help him/her. There are only a very few places in Budapest, and all over Hungary, where an addict can enter without any specific reason, and also: where there are no expectations formulated in the first moments towards the person asking for help.

Therapies • Theatre • Music • Climbing, adventure • Self-help groups • Arts (for example photo workshop) • Education

Summary • We can say that we lack experience and resources • No standardised treatment protocol, regulation or responsibility – even on the level of he authorities. • Professionals try to reach out to children on an ad hoc basis, and involve them through other services • Some bottom-up projects created value and set an example

Thank you for your attention This Photos made in „Stop Group” art workshop. Special thanks our Klients & Gábor Kapolka (leader of the workshop),

Working with Street Children in Hungary