Children overcome traumatic experiences with the support of professionals
“Life writes novels. No writer can come up with the twists we hear from our clients. Their stories are so unbelievable that sometimes we cannot even believe they are happening, yet they do happen in peoples’ lives,” says Vanja Maskovic, a professional with decades of experience at the Centre for Social Work in Bijelo Polje.
During her 33 years of work, Vanja has encountered many different cases. She says each of those cases was challenging in its own way. That is why, she emphasizes, every form of professional training is extremely valuable, especially the training she has undergone in the past 18 months, thanks to UNICEF’s initiative “Partnership for Strengthening the Child Protection System for the Protection of Children from and Prevention of all Forms of Violence and Exploitation”. The initiative is implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, with financial support from the European Union and technical support from UNICEF (EU).
“There are cases that particularly shake us. Those working at the CSW are both humans and professionals. It is very difficult to draw a clear line. However, we develop the skills to respond professionally in certain situations over time. Still, we often take our work home and discuss ways to resolve some cases with colleagues in the afternoon and on weekends,” Vanja explains.
Vanja and her colleagues often find themselves in a difficult position as they have to find the best solution for children – and their beneficiaries – at short notice. That is why, she says, finding time for additional training is hard, which is crucial for the many challenges they face.
“Professional workers in Centres for Social Work often face a large workload and complex situations involving children and families. Our ability to dedicate ourselves to training may vary due to limited resources, but it is important that we, as professional workers, are supported and provided with opportunities for continuous professional development to better cope with the challenges we face."
For professionals, training on topics such as protecting children at risk, neglect, and child abuse is particularly important.
The training that Vanja recently attended with her colleagues has improved the specific knowledge necessary for high-quality professional work with child victims of all forms of violence through the case management process, with clear guidelines for implementing professional procedures and legal protection procedures for children under the jurisdiction of Centres for Social Work.
She emphasizes that, since 2018, professional workers have had to be licensed to perform basic and specialized professional tasks in social and child protection.
“This means that we have to complete a certain number of accredited training programmes to renew our licences. Licensing of professionals also entails an obligation for professional development,” Vanja explains in more detail.
She highlights that training allows professional workers to “refresh their existing knowledge, exchange experiences with colleagues, and improve their skills”.
“Essentially, training is an ongoing process that helps us stay focused, motivated, and effective in our work,” she explains.
Vanja is a special education teacher, i.e. defectologist, by education. Until about 10 years ago, she mostly worked with children and young people in conflict with the law and with behavioural disorders. Since 2015, she has been a case manager.
“At the moment, I handle mostly cases related to children without parental care, who are in foster care and foster care,” she explains.
She says that children without parental care are mostly placed in kinship foster families.
“In the majority of cases, children from dysfunctional families, often plagued with domestic violence, are placed in foster families,” Vanja explains.
According to data from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, 323 individuals were licensed for family placement, i.e. foster care, last year. “Some foster care cases are very difficult, especially when it comes to violence against children, especially sexual violence. Fortunately, these types of cases are very rare, but they are rather distressing.”
That is why, she points out, professional workers in the social protection system must refresh their knowledge and skills through education.
“Our clients’ problems are unique, so solving them requires an individual approach,” Vanja concludes.