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Project No. EQ/2004/1130-23/499
“FORWARD! Family and Work Reconciliation Development”
Project duraton: December 1, 2004 – December 31, 2007
PARTNERS:
LITHUANIAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION
SOCIAL WORKERS TRAINING CENTRE UNDER THE LITHUANIAN LABOUR MARKET TRAINING AUTHORITY
VILNIUS CITY MUNICIPALITY ADMINISTRATION
VILNIUS DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN “PELEDZIUKAS”
VILNIUS MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN “KURPAITE”
VILNIUS MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN “MAZYLIS”
VILNIUS MUNICIPALITY PENSION FOR MOTHER AND CHILD
VILNIUS UNIVERSITY
LEADING PARTNER -
WOMEN’S ISSUES INFORMATION CENTRE
PROBLEM ADDRESSED
Ordinary workers in city or rural area face a problem of family and work time reconciliation. Working hours of most pre-school institutions do not mach regular working hours of parents.
Besides, their salaries are too low to afford babysitter, etc. Unemployed persons or willing to take up training courses can not afford it or can’t improve their professional qualification because of the working hours of pre-school institutions.
MAIN GOAL
to reduce social exclusion of the families with preschool children and put into practice two models of good experience in two Municipalities of Vilnius county and on this basis influence further political decisions
TARGET GROUP
Single parents or families with low incomes having preschool children.
Majority of the target group are women who, as a tradition, have poorer career perspectives and lower incomes; as usual they are responsible for childcare.
Families suffering from domestic violence are also targeted.
TASK
Creation and testing of two new models of reconciliation of professional activities and family duties, using international experience, one of which is for city community and the other is for rural community.
ANTICIAPATED RESULTS
Two models of reconciliation of career and family duties (for city and country communities) considering working hours are worked out and tested;
Career and family duties reconciliation recommendations for social partners are worked out;
Training module for personnel who provides services for target group is worked out;
Trainings for personnel who provides services for target group;
Childcare services are provided to 60 (40 city and 20 country) families;40 members of target group gained or improved professional qualifications;Experience gained is disseminated at national level;
Experience is shared with international partners;
Events or other information dissemination activities that aim at introducing the project activities and results are organized.
You can download current project's achievements here
December 7, 2005 – start of groups of extended working hours in the kindergartens
VILNIUS MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN “KURPAITE”
Working hours: 6.30-18.30 (extended hours: 18.30-21.30 on weekdays)
Initial number of families/children – 14/14.
VILNIUS MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN “MAZYLIS”
Working hours: 6.30-18.30 (extended hours: 18.30-21.30 on weekdays)
Initial number of families/children – 10/11.
VILNIUS DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN “PELEDZIUKAS”
Working hours: 7.00-17.30 (extended hours: 17.30 – 7.00 on weekdays)
Initial number of families/children – 20/24.
Research
Following research works were done during the project implementation:
- Evaluation of the needs of employers and employees (I stage);
- Evaluation of the needs of the target group
(I stage);
- Evaluation of the needs of the personnel (specialists) (I stage);
- Evaluation of parents’ needs for career/professional training and services (II stage);
Needs for Career of the Target Group
42.5 percent of parents need professional training, because they have only primary or secondary education. Thus, they do not have any professional qualification.
8 percent of parents need help to be employed, because they are unemployed. 7 percent of parents need help in finding a better paid job, so that they could move from allowances to salaries.
70 percent of parents need professional training, because they want to acquire or change their professional qualification or improve their competences, because they earn too little, perform hard manual work or are not able to reconcile work with family duties.
Family Relationships Problems
17-25 percent of parents indicated, that there is no mutual respect and trust among family members, decisions are made not paying attention to the opinions of all family members.
42.5 percent indicated, that there are no clear rules in their families. Thus, children may lack control and definition of what is permitted and what is forbidden.
45 percent of families are under the high risk of conflicts and discord.
40 percent of families experience tension and strained relations because of above mentioned reasons, that is why they need social and psychological help.
Problems in Parents’ Relationships
The majority of parents indicated that in their families conflicts happen often or sometimes.
Non-constructive ways of problem-solving dominate: no communication during the conflict or the conflict is disregarded (52.4 proc.), force is used or the police is called (20.1 proc.)
19 percent of parents indicated, that in some cases conflicts lead to violence.
Economic Conditions
15 percent of parents live only on allowances;
The majority have work and live on their own salaries;
10 percent have some income sources (salary, allowances, alimony)
Average income for one family member is from 50 Lt to 933 Lt.;
22,5 percent are in debt for a flat and half of families have other kind of debts.
Problems of Parenting
Half of parents indicated, that have problems in parenting. However, the majority of problems are related not to children but to work and family duties reconciliation problems or financial problems.
Collaboration among DP memebers
During the first stage project coordination mechanism was confirmed and responsibilities shared.
The control body is a Coordination Board, that consists of representatives of each project partner. The board members are not involved in the project directly.
Meetings of the Coordination Board are held every half a year.
DP electronical network is created.
DP meetings are held constantly. During these meeting every partner reports on work done.
All partners are provided with mobile phones.
All the documents are discussed during the DP meetings.
During the II stage DP members joined working groups that are responsible for international cooperation implementing activities
Finance Management
The leading partner is responsible for finance management
All the financial operations are performed by the leading partner
International Cooperation
DP “FORWARD! Family and Work Reconciliation Development” have signed 2 international cooperation agreements:
- Improving Childcare: Needs of children & families – demands of the labour market.
Partners: Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, Italy
- Des Territoires pour l’Egalite
Partners: Portugal, France, Italy
TP Improving Childcare
The objectives of the transnational partnership are mutual learning and empowerment in the fields of common interest, a mutual exchange of experience and the common development of transnational documents (reports, instruments).
Working groups:
• Flexible models of childcare (coordinator: Luxembourg)• Comparison of trainings in the field of child minders and auxiliary workers (coordinator: Italy)• Accreditation of prior learning experience (coordinator: Belgium)• Integrated services (support for families and children) (coordinator: Germany / Lithuania)• Evaluation (all participants)
TP portal is created: www.improvingchildcare.org
TP Des Territoires pour l’Egalite
The objectives:
- The possibility to call society’s attention to gender equality issues will be discussed
- Information about gender equality methods that are used in partner countries in order to improve them will be shared
- Information about experiences and services that provide a possibility for better time reconciliation in rural area especially solving the problem of service improvement in rural area considering the environmental and/or lifestyle impact will be shared
- Gender equality implementation means and services in partner countries will be discussed
Working Groups:
- Services and possibilities to use them
- Informing and professional training
- Promoting of new activities in the country region
- Evaluation
OUR CONTACTS
Project leader - Mrs. Jurate Seduikiene
Olandu str. 19 - 2
Vilnius, Lithuania
phone: +370 52629 003
fax: +370 5 2629 050
e-mail: jurate@lygus.lt
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FAMILY AND WORK MAY BE COMPATIBLE!
WHO THE PROJECT IS INTENDED FOR?
The project is intended for the families raising pre-school children who
• Work or study far away from the place of residence, on a shift basis, etc.;
• Do not have possibilities to entrust the care of their children to their family members, nurses;
• Are jobless;
• Do not have qualification or have a vocation in low demand;
• Have violence problems;
• Are not full
• Have low income
• Have social, psychological problems.
75 families participated in the project.
WHAT IS “FORWARD! FAMILY AND WORK RECONCILATION DEVELOPMENT” ?
This is EQUAL project of the European Community Initiative, which is being implemented in Lithuania, aimed at helping socially vulnerable families integrate into labour market, providing members of the families raising pre-school children with the conditions to work so that they could ensure the welfare for themselves and their families independently. The project was implemented from 01/12/2004 till 30/06/2008.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT?
The findings of the survey on the effect of the project “Services to families raising pre-school children” demonstrated that:
• Thanks to the project the parents were able to combine their family and work duties better.
• The integrity of families and mutual relationships improved in the course of the project, more trust, openness emerged and common family time was spent more thoughtfully, the satisfaction with communication and relationships in the family increased.
• Parenting skills of families who participated in the project improved: parents started to apply children support methods more often, i.e. they assisted their children in solving problems more often, they praised, supported the conceptions and ideas of their children.
• Positive changes in the children awarding and punishing methods were noticed: e.g. when awarding their children, the parents spent more time with them and bought them sweets or things more seldom, whereas when punishing, the parents less often made them stand in the corner, and instead did not allow them to watch their favourite movies, play favourite games or did not buy the things they have promised, i.e. the application of constructive punishment became more frequent.
• Parents had fewer difficulties in the upbringing of their children: during the project they were given more attention by the psychologists at the time of personal consulting and self-help classes. The number of complaints that nobody can take care of children reduced, since extended working time of children care services were provided during the project.
• During the project the number of families where jobs, functions were equally shared by both parents and where decisions were made by them both together increased.
• During the project, the employment mediation, vocational skill advancement, extended working time of child care and training institutions had a positive effect on the occupational situation of the families. Eleven of them changed or found a new job. The working hours of the new job ensured bigger earnings, higher positions and greater satisfaction with work.
WHAT INNOVATIONS HAVE BEEN TRIED?
Based on the project initiative, extended working time of the child care groups were set up in three pre-school institutions, where parents working far away from their place of residence or working on a shift basis are provided with the possibility to leave their children longer the than usual hours. In Vilnius kindergartens “Mažylis” and “Kurpaitė”, the working time was extended from 6.30 p.m. till 9.30 p.m., whereas in Pagiriai kindergarten “Pelėdžiukas”, located in the district of Vilnius, parents have the possibility to leave their children for the night.
Families participating in the project are rendered complex assistance: social worker’s and psychologist’s consultations were provided at pre-school institutions, the courses for the advancement of vocational skills were organized. In each pre-school institution a room for activities of the project group was allocated, as well as, spaces for parent consulting and work of the project specialist.
WHO IMPLEMENTED THE PROJECT?
The project was implemented by the Women’s Issues Information Centre (the managing partner), Vilnius city municipality administration, Vilnius Pension of Mother and Child, Social worker’s training centre, Department of Social Work of Vilnius University, Women’s Centre of Trade Union Confederation, Vilnius city kindergartens “Mažylis” and “Kurpaitė” and Vilnius district Pagiriai kindergarten “Pelėdžiukas”. The project partners were united by one common idea - to develop a well organized system on which basis complex services would be provided to the families, the reduction of social exclusion would be reached, and families would be helped to integrate into the labour market and solve their social family problems.
Women’s Information Centre
Olandų Str. 19-2, Vilnius, LT-01100
http://www.seimairdarbas.lt/
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