-
.
- Ελληνικά
Let me first thank the President of the Republic Mr.Nikos Christodoulides, who honours us with his presence today by acknowledging the importance of the implementation on a pan-Cypriot basis of the European, co-funded programme of the Neighbourhood Social Worker, which was already included in the THALEIA 2021-2027 programme.
A social service, the implementation of which is in President Christodoulides' Governance Programme and today I am pleased to report that it is being implemented. Although I know that most speeches begin with "it is with great emotion that I am here today", I want you to believe that it is indeed with great emotion that I am here today.
Because, in addition to being committed by the Governance Programme to implement the programme, I have believed from day one in the great benefits of the Neighbourhood Social Worker for local communities, for the modernisation and European orientation of social services through decentralisation, but above all for the citizens themselves, their effective support and service.
Together with my colleagues, and especially with the management and officials of the Social Welfare Services (SSS), we started the pilot project immediately, in April 2023 in eight municipalities and communities, including mountainous and remote areas. And the cooperation with everyone - the President of the Union of Municipalities Mr. Andreas Vyra, the President of the Union of Communities Mr. Andreas Kitromilidis, all the mayors and community leaders who participated in the pilot - was excellent: That the Neighbourhood Social Worker is something that local communities need. Something that was missing to reduce the distance of the citizen from social services. To make social services more accessible, friendly, direct, quick and efficient.
Our second objective was to move quickly and methodically so that we could immediately start the process of extending the programme to cover all areas of Cyprus. In close cooperation again with the Union of Municipalities and Communities, working groups were set up to define the clusters, taking into account the Local Government Reform, but above all the needs in each area as recorded by the Municipalities and Local Authorities. This was followed by information workshops in all provinces with high interest. At these meetings, procedural issues were discussed, among other things. Today we are here to put the seal of implementation of the start of the pan-Cypriot expansion on a solid basis by signing a total of 39 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) covering 17 municipalities and 22 clusters of municipalities, which are part of the new mergers and clusters (19 municipalities and 30 clusters of municipalities) that will be created after the Local Government Reform.
The appointment of Social Officers and supervisors in the municipalities, communes and clusters of communes currently signing up will take place next month. The Neighbourhood Social Workers will receive training from the HCPs, who will have a coordinating and supervisory role. The same procedure will be followed for each municipality and community that joins the programme.
The Neighbourhood Social Worker is a successful synergy of State and local government that aims at early and immediate identification of challenges and their response, prevention and two-way communication with citizens.
Together with the Local Authorities and through the programme we also aim to reach out to the problems of our fellow citizens who may not seek help or may not know in what ways they can be helped.
One of the roles of the Neighbourhood Social Worker is to identify local problems in the communities or municipalities where he or she is posted. That is why his first act is to network with the Local Authorities and important agencies, for example the police, schools, church, etc.
He identifies early conditions for individuals or families who may be experiencing problems and in need of psychosocial support, acts as a first point of reference, may receive reports from the individuals themselves, but also from other organisations, state, local and non-state.
Most importantly, it proceeds with direct handling and linking of the beneficiaries with Social Welfare Services or other relevant services such as, among others, Police, Health Centres, Community Centres, Mental Health Services, Welfare Benefit Administration Service, depending on the individual issue of each case.
The results of the pilot implementation will be presented below. Therefore, I will not bore you with repetitions.
Once again, I thank the President of the Republic for his presence here today and for believing and highlighting through his Governance Programme a programme with a people-centred character, beneficial to society as a whole.
I also thank from the bottom of my heart all the mayors and community leaders, all the members of municipal and community councils for their unstinting cooperation.
I thank all the mayors and community leaders, all the members of municipal and community councils for their cooperation. I believe in synergies, especially with local government, because it is the institution closest to the citizens. Because it knows better than anyone else the challenges and needs of the people living in municipalities and communities. Because through our cooperation we can offer better and higher quality social services.
For this reason I consider you valuable partners and companions, aiming at the well-being of people and, by extension, of the whole, without exclusion and without discrimination.
(MT/NYAN/EP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
