Youth care centre Malči Belič Ljubljana

Youth care centre Malči Belič Ljubljana(1929)

Home for Youngsters is a Slovenian non-profit Centre in the domain of the Ministry of School, Science and Sport
The Centre educates children and youngsters with emotional and behavioural problems, as well as those with learning disabilities (children with special needs)
Institution offers and assures complete care, 24 hours per day, throughout the year, for its inhabitants

Socially and development threatened
Mostly emotionally handicapped
Educationally neglected
They have specifical learning problems, low motivation, great deficits and they are restless
They have a low self-image, minimal expectations, wishes and aims, bad opinion of adults and authorities and bad experience with them

Housing problems
Materially threatened families
Neglecting fostering relations
Children´s manners problems
Others (ilness or sudden death one of the parents or guardians; parents are leaving abroad, perhaps they are going to prison, they are hospitalised, etc.)

Centre provides shelter for both sexes, aged between 6-17, which are included in primary (or secundary) schools
The Centre is a composition of a three wings building, there are two educational groups (families) in each wing
We have six groups with 10 inhabitants altogether
Capacity of the Centre is 60 inhabitants maximum

Youngsters come from all over the state, exclusively with decision of the Centre for social work
Inhabitants must express their free will to come into Centre (define the goals of their accomodation)
Their duty (our expectations) is considered the house rules, attending the school and school´s obligations

Integration (inclusion) of our inhabitants in all common regular activities at the levels of normal life, successfully as they can

Social welfare and health objectives (prevention)
Educational learning objectives (provision of school performance and overall education)
Compenstation objectives (replacement late into child´s development)
Personally and socially integrative focus (modify/elimination unacceptable social behavior, attitudes, habits, relations; develop a sense of self-worth, raise self – esteem )

Residental group, includes children and youngsters aged between 6-17
10 members maximum, 6 educational groups at the Centre
Open social unit, which receives new members, when the individuals leaves the institute
Admissions (dismissals) take place all over the year
Educational group based on a family model, lead by parent educator

Groups are heterogeneous with regard to gender, age, complexity, interests, abilities
Each group led two parental educators (tutors) which representing a character´s mother and father in the family
Group is completely autonomous unit; children and their tutors together planned and carried out daily (weekly) residential activities

Is a completly expertize person, professional pedagogue in the relationships versus children, their parents and other subjects
He is responsible for each member of his group
Takes care for children´s healthy life and safety
Cooperate in the learning process, keep contacts with schools
Menthor, group/family leader, animator, motivator, performer all activities in free time
Teacher and adviser for youngsters by daily activities, solving problems
By his professional work he is totally indenpendent, for consequences his decisions is responsible to the principal

Educational institutes employs other professionals like social workers, psychologs, somewhere nurse or medical staff
External experts are mostly specialists (doctors, pediatricians, psychiatrist, defectologists, speech therapists…)
Important educational factors are also school teachers, children´s relatives, their friends, and all other members of society in which are our inhabitants involved

Younger children learn from older
Precise division of roles between group members
Organisation of team work
Structured leisure activities
Opportunity to learn about the diversity of relationships between sexes, parental roles, members in the group
Needs of the elderly are different than needs of the younger children
Friction and conflicts between them
Oldest are often non active by group activities
House rules is adapted to younger resistants

FREE TIME ACTIVITIES

PROJECTS

MOST IMPORTANT PROJECTS

International exchange

Culture festival CSIPERO – Hungary/Kecskemet
European Sport Championship for youngsters from Youth Care Centres from Eastern Europe – Hungary /Kecskemet
International exchange project for institutes from Ex Yugoslavia (Banja Luka, Bijela)

Home for Youngsters and institutional education are part of the system, which are represent many of facts (family, social care institutes, societies, clubs) of society and our environment
Through the look of the child, Home is very important life space
Home is represent whole process where individuals can get more experiences for their further living, on their social, emotional, behavioural level
We take care for good educated professionals and other employees, for quality organization of our work, all kind of activities for our childrens goods
We believe that our inhabitants could choose for themselves all what they need in the frame of safety, structural, warm and encourage communiuty, which we can offer them