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www.seimairdarbas.lt

Women‘s Issues Information Centre

Olandų str. 19-2, LT-01100 Vilnius
Tel.: +370 5 262 9003
Fax.: +370 5 262 9050

Other national partners:

• VILNIUS MUNICIPALITY PENSION FOR MOTHER AND CHILD
• VILNIUS CITY MUNICIPALITY ADMINISTRATION
• SOCIAL WORKERS TRAINING CENTRE UNDER THE LITHUANIAN LABOUR MARKET TRAINING AUTHORITY
• VILNIUS UNIVERSITY
• VILNIUS MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN "KURPAITE"
• VILNIUS MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN "MAZYLIS"
• VILNIUS REGION MUNICIPALITY KINDERGARTEN "PELEDZIUKAS"
• LITHUANIAN TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION

DP Budget:

Action 1 Budget – 85.965 Lt
Action 2 Budget – 1.485.359 Lt

• 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.

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.

Using international experience, create and test two new models for reconciliation of professional activities and family duties, one of which is for city community and the other is for rural community.

Development Partnership is innovative because this is the first attempt in Lithuania to solve the problems of the target group together with partners from different activity sectors. Different institutions participate in activities of Development Partnership as partners. These institutions are non-governmental organization, municipality, institutions of social services, pre-school and university education, qualification development institution, trade union confederation, the target group itself as well as country community that was involved in Development Partnership during the first stage of the project, business structures and foreign partners.

Some innovative forms of the project can be marked:

• Preparation and development of new methodical recommendations for work and family duties reconciliation as well as preparation and development of the programme for integration of the socially excluded families into the society life and promotion of the models of good experience.
• Creation of the new methods of work with target group and creation of the programme for target group integration into the society life.
• Development Partnership activities will create facilities for women and men to reconcile work and family duties and change the stereotypes in division of family duties.
• Development Partnership will create interinstitutional and intosectorial teamwork involving employers, country community, social partners and active target group members. The new cooperation forms will be developed.

Activities:

• Target group screening
• Evaluation of the parents’ needs for professional training and services
• Preparation of the plan of services for parents
• Organization of work of the groups of prolonged hours in the kindergartens
• December 7, 2005 – start of groups of prolonged working hours in the kindergartens
• Preparation of the training programme and training materials for personnel who provides services for target group
• Organization of the trainings
• Service rendering for parents
• Efficiency evaluation
• Preparation and publishing of methods/techniques, recommendations, programmes
• Dissemination of good experience. Preparation and distribution of the information about the project
• International cooperation
• DP strengthening activities

Planned results:

• Two career and family duties reconciliation models (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 30 personnel members who provides services for target group are organized;
• 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.

• In 2008 the new models are successfully used in two more country municipalities;
• Career and family duties reconciliation models are accredited and certified by responsible institutions (administrations of municipal governments, specialists’ training institutions);
• A new childcare system in 3 preschool childcare institutions is created (in city and country areas);
• 3 childcare and education groups (about 60 children) that work under the created models are organized in preschool childcare institutions;
• Services are organized and provided in 3 groups of 3 preschool childcare institutions (2 in the city area and 1 in the country area);
• Up to 60% of parents from the target group successfully reconcile career and family duties;
• Development Partnership continues its work after the project and seeks new goals in the same or similar field.

• Society attitudes towards reconciliation of career and family duties will change
• Laws and policy regarding equal opportunities and help for families in order to reduce their social exclusion will not change (at least will not retrogress)
• Targeted municipal government administrations approve of implementation of the models
• Municipalities that did not participate in the project willingly participate in project experience dissemination activities
• Media will acknowledge importance of the project
• International partners will join common activities and willingly share their experience with both project Development Partnership and local governmental institutions
• Institutions that did not participate in the project DP will take interest in the new models and their advantages
• Enterprise institutions will become socially responsible
• Specialists that provide services for target group will take interest in participating in trainings.

Improving Childcare: Needs of children & families - demands of the labour market

DPs involved

Luxembourg

QUALIflex – Qualität und Flexibilität in der Kinderbetreuung LU-7

Belgium

Accueil de l‘enfance en province de luxembourg: coordination et developpement BEfr-64

Belgium

ECCE_AMA childcare in learning networks BEnl-27

Italy

CO.P.IN – „COOPERARE PER L‘INFANZIA" IT-IT-G2-ABR-030

Germany

ABC A – Arbeit B – Betreuung C – Chancegleichheit DE-XB4-76051-20-nw/200

Lithuania

FORWARD! Family and Work Reconciliation Development LT-23

Activities:

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).
The following themes are treated in the transnational co-operation
• 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)

The partners want to exchange their knowledge, their experiences and their competences concerning the above mentioned thematic fields.

Concretely, the following activities are aimed at:

(1) Flexible models of childcare (Coordinator: Luxemburg)

A questionnaire of ten questions is being worked out. The answers/results give an overview of the methods and settings of flexible childcare structures of each country. Every partner is answering the questions for his own country. A conclusion and recommendations will be added.
The gathered information is being presented in an electronic document or a brochure which will be distributed to national and regional decision makers. The results will be discussed on a conference in Luxemburg where each partner will present the system realized in his country.

(2) Comparison of trainings in the field of child minders and auxiliary workers (Coordinator: Italy)

The partners will overview the definition of the "child minders" profession. They will develop a common scheme (a collection of items, based on an existing European scheme) to describe the training for this profession (e.g. level of entrance, duration, competences, certification acquired). A comparison will then be conducted on the results of the data acquired. A conclusion and recommendations will be added.
The so gathered information is being presented in an electronic document or a brochure which will be distributed to national and regional decision makers.


(3) Accreditation of prior learning experience (Coordinator: Belgium)
In EQUAL 1, two projects ("Accueil de l’enfance en province de Luxembourg – coordination et développement" – Belgium; and "FOGAflex – Formation des gardien(ne)s de jour et modes de garde flexibles et décentralisés", Luxembourg) developed a profile of competences for child minders which will now be refined. The analysis and the accreditation of former competences, also from private life and non-formal education, will become more and more important. An interview-manual, permitting to see whether an applicant disposes of the competences required for the work as child-minder, will be developed (for some fields of the profile of competences).
Belgium will present the results of this work. The working language is French; the final documents will be available in English and French.

(4) Integrated Services (support for families and children) (Coordinator: Germany/Lithuania)
In Early Childhood Education the term "integration" has begun to be used in several countries to describe modes of joining together state, voluntary and private providers of social services to address needs of young children and their families (including child care services as well as support for – especially disadvantaged - families). This should result in more efficient, effective and economic services. The merging is often done within a "one-stop-shop" created by co-locating providers on a single site or alternatively by linking a number of providers in close geographical distance.
We will analyze international examples of good practices in the participating countries of TCA and good examples in other countries (e.g. UK, USA). The product will be a report.

Planned results:

The added value is being presented for each module separately:

(1) Flexible models of childcare
In a brochure/electronic document the different principles and methods of flexible structures of childcare are described. The transnational co-operation allows to compare and exchange methods of different countries and to draw conclusions and recommendations for the "own" country (of each DP). The brochure/electronic document want to supply the regional and national decision makers with suggestions and alternatives (-> mainstreaming, increased opportunity for innovation).

(2) Comparison of trainings in the field of child minders and auxiliary workers
The transnational co-operation allows to compare and exchange methods of different countries and to draw conclusions and recommendations for the "own" country. This will contribute to foster a greater degree of transparency of training and professional paths. This should promote the mobility of workers within Europe.
The exchange of good practices will give new ideas to each of the partners and will help to reflect the own procedures (mutual learning, increased opportunities for innovation).

(3) Accreditation of prior learning experience
The concept of accreditation of prior learning experience is being discussed a lot on the european level. Many member states have changed or will change their vocational training system in this direction. By working out an instrument permitting the recognition of competences in the field of child care (assessment instrument), the three frontier DPs (LU – 7, BEnl - 27, BEfr-64), both organizing trainings, want to participate actively in this process. The results of this work will be presented to national authorities (mainstreaming).

(4) Integrated Services (support for families and children)
The report on examples of good practices will help the participating countries to learn from the experiences and to develop strategies in order to foster integrated services in their own countries.

Countries for Equality

DPs involved

Portugal

Iguais num rural diferente PT-2004-343

France

EQUILIBRES FR-MDP-2004-43863

Italy

VALORE NATURA – nuova economia locale per le aree ad alto valore ambientale IT-IT-G2-SIC-037

Lithuania

FORWARD! Family and Work Reconciliation Development LT-23

Activities:

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.

Planned results:

No less than one pedagogical means designed to inform society about gender equality and research of possibilities to use it in different countries
Preparation of the document where all available means that improve possibilities to get different services in rural area are discussed
Preparation of the set of documents where results of study visits, means of local development and conveyance are discussed
Evaluation document

Planned results are connected to:

• Application of new methods in the field of general development; development of new argumentation and reasoning ideas in solving of the raised problems and search for answers at country level using international experience;
• Development of gender equality information dissemination processes that prompt higher women’s employment and acknowledgement of their role and influence to social, economic and cultural development of the country;
• Accumulation of interesting and innovative practices