Project for sustainable development of the Community Centers for socio-psychological rehabilitation, by training of personnel, competence development, optimisation of existing skills, encouragement of working in networks, development of management and organisational skills and skills necessary to function in an associative framework. SUMMARY 1 - Report of the training session 1-1 Context, general objectives and working methods 1-1-1 Context 1-1-2 General objectives 1-1-3 Working methods 1-2 The trainers 1-3 The participants 2- Assessment of the results of the training session 2-1 Management aspects 2-1-1 Objectives 2-1-2 Training content 2-1-3 Analysis 2-2 Socio-psychological aspects 2-2-1 Objectives 2-2-2 Training content 2-2-3 Analysis 2-3 Assessment of the training activités per category of participants 2-3-1 Managers 2-3-2 Psychologists and social workers 2-3-3 Activity organizers Conclusion 2
1- Report of the training session 1-1 Context, general objectives and working methods 1-1-1 Context The UNESCO - Chernobyl Programme was phased out at the end of 1997. However, an evaluation prepared under the responsibility of the Central Unit of Evaluation recommended that UNESCO should support the Centres for an additional two years (1998-1999), as well as provide training sessions aimed at developing their self-sustainability.* 1-1-2 General objectives The objectives of the seminar were, as mentioned in the contracts signed between Unesco and the consultants (i.e. trainers), in the context of the Unesco's financial help and support to the centers coming to an end, helping these centers on their way to self-sustainabilty, in two fields : -psycho-sociological training (under the responsibility of Marie-Thérèse Neuilly) -management training (under the responsibilty of Priscilla Celier) It was the main goal of the conference which was held in Minsk on January 11th through 16 thl999. These recommandations have been fully approved by the Director General of Unesco. 3
Three levels of objectives were defined. Level 1 - individual, level 2 - level of the Centre and level 3 - Resource Centre (common to all the Centers). On level 1, evaluation of individual needs in additional training, development of professional skills and production of a document describing professional capacities called competence document. On level 2 the objectives consisted in evaluating the strong and weak points of the Centres" performance, in optimizing Centres 1 operational strategies and management and in working on personal issues. On level 3 was discussed the creation of new structures which would be common to all the Centers - a Resource Centre and an Association. The Resource Centre will carry out different activities needed by the Centres - documentation accumulation, creating a database, and the Association may take over marketing, fundraising, international contacts... A questionnaire was distributed among the trainees, in order to receive information on their previous trainings regarding psychosocial rehabilitation in a post disaster situation. 1-1-3 Methods The training was conducted in the following modules: case studies, theoretical issues, role play, lectures, focus groups, discussions, feed-back. The competence document was worked out both in group sessions and in the course of individual consultations. The Resource Centre was discussed in plenary session and in work groups. The two main areas of the Conference programme were: - management, - psychology and social work. 4
1-2 The training team Mr Alexandre Rybkine, Unesco project coordinater Mrs. Marie-Therese Neuilly was responsible for working out the programme on psychology and psychosocial issues. Mrs. Pricilla Celier developed a training programme on management aspects. Mrs Oksana Garnets worked on a comprehensive programme of the whole training. Five local trainers including Mrs. O. Garnets participated to the training - Mr. Andrey Dorozhevets, PhD, Belarus ; Mr. Yuri Shwalb Doctor of science in psychology, Ukraine; Mr. Vitali Panok, PhD, Ukraine ; Mrs. Ludmila Shibayeva, PhD, Russia; and Mr. Dmitry Pankov, Doctor of science in economics, Belarus. 1-3 The participants Three groups of trainees participated : - Group one: managers and deputy-managers : 19 (nearly all deputy-managers also work as psychologists ) - Group two: psychologists and social workers : 17. - Group three: activity organizers : 9. 5
2- Assessment of the results of the training session 2-1 Management Aspects 2-1-1 Objectives 1. Introduction to marketing and management techniques. 2. Reflection on potential structure of the centres. 3. Introduction to NGO. 4. Precise evaluation of the training needs further to be addressed in the next phases, both on a personal and on the Centres' levels. 5. Assessment of strong and weak points of each centre. 6. Identification of the potential of each centre. 7. Working out of the document of competence. 2-1-2 Training content The trainers were Priscilla Celier (INSEAD MBA), consultant appointed by Unesco headquarters and Dimitri Alexeevitch Pankov, doctor in economics science and professor at Minsk University, appointed by the Minsk UNDP office. The management training included two main elements : lectures on economics and workshops devoted to discussing the Centres' present functionment and potential. The lectures included : -an introduction (2,5 hours) to economics for all the seminar's participants, including psychologists, social workers and creative workers, to make sure that they all had a basic knowledge in macro-economics, allowing them both to better understand the changing world in which they live and integrate this understanding in their approach to their work. 6
-14 hours of lectures for the managers and the deputy managers, on the following subjects - introduction to microeconomics - turnover, break-even point, basics of cost accounting - book-keeping: balance sheet, profit and loss account, their economic significance, how to understand and analyse them in a dynamic perspective - how to produce a business plan : contents, possible structures,financial elements; The workshops (8 hours) were devoted to discussing each center in the perspective of its possible self-sustainability (in this document the word self-sustainability is not used in its original meaning but in the sense that the Centers must now be able to live without Unesco's direct support and financial help), taking into account what was learnt during the previous lectures, exchanging experiences, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the various Centers and determining their needs for further management training. In addition, the presentation and discussion of possible types of organisation for the future functioning of the Centers took place in 5 workshops : - creation of a Resource Center, using the turn-key project (computers, modems, access to Internet, training) to be supplied to the Centers by TACIS. A workshop was devoted to creating a presentation of the Centers which could be put in the Resource Center on Internet in the future. - creation of what the participants call an «association», but is, in fact, what we call in the West a NGO, to fulfill some of the functions Unesco used to ensure, such as assistance for contacts with foreign or international organizations, funds..., organization of training seminars, consultancy for the Centers... In addition to the above mentioned Internet document, the conception of a competence document describing each Center to present its main fields of activities was discussed in detail. Such workshops were an exercise in the art of formulating and presenting effectively one's skills. 7
2-1-3 Analysis The lectures were well received and understood, even though the participants had initial different levels of knowledge in economics and management. The workshops on the various Centers revealed that many managers are hampered in their thinking both by the state of crisis in their countries and by their statute of governmental institution, which induce a reaction of «It is impossible» to many suggestions. Indeed it needs a lot of imagination and entrepreneurship to overcome these difficulties. It is nevertheless possible as some Centers have shown very effectively. The exchange of experience on these themes was very positive. Everything that can stimulate entrepreneurship is necessary. The group of managers was rather reluctant to produce documents such as those described above. However, the documents theyfinally produced were very satisfactory. Most of them have very strong personalities and some of them find it difficult to consider even examining a proposal suggested by a foreign consultant. A way to overcome this difficulty was to lead them to reformulate and thus «reinvent» the given proposal. This is how the Resource Center proposal was finally accepted with enthusiasm. The idea of creating an «association» between the Centers had already been discussed by some of the participants during previous meetings and was unanimously accepted. 8
2-2 Socio-psychological aspects 2-2-1 Objectives In the field of socio-psychology, the objective of this training is to give theoretical and conceptual knowledge, methods and tools, which enable Centers'employees to help the population of the concerned territories. In the framework of the transition to autonomy of the Psychological Rehabilitation Centres, this programme laid down three objectives : Objective 1 : individual level => reinforcement of professional abilities Objective 2 : for each Community Center => optimization of methods in order to achieve a higher quality. Objective 3 : collective level => setting up a common structure in Centers, the Resource Center. 2-2-2 Training content Themes, methods, tools Themes : Violence, ill-treament Study of crisis and victims 9
Addictive behaviours : alcoholism et drug Work on bereavement and pain of children Burn out and debriefing Therapy and focus group Methods : The methods used to work with these groups of professionals favour two aspects : an aspect founded on interactive methods, based on experience and questions, in discussion groups, play-roles, and an aspect of formalized theorization such as theoretical lessons or structured knowledge. Questionnaires were distributed to the workshops participants to help them to review their knowledge or their requirement for information on this field. The formation tools destined to favour the transition to the autonomy of the Centers, through the training of the staff, seen from a sociopsychological point of view are : The questionnaire, to allow each person to analyse the different categories of work he has to carry out in the Center. The Competence Notebook : individual presentation of every employee, orientation and summing up his (her) knowledge and know-how, it will allow the person to position him(her)self in the Ressource Center, and to take responsabilities in the constitution of this structure. From an individual and collective development viewpoint, it allows each participant to find his (her) place in a changing society. This document reviews for each trainee : - basic knowledge in speciality - professional and personal orientation - professional practices 10
- professional objectives - the strong points of professional practice and knowledge of participants that could be used for external consultation - needs for further training. The Resource Center The Psychological Rehabilitation Centers, created wirh Unesco's assistance have accumulated valuable experiences and knowledge while working in particularly difficult conditions. The Resource Center can be a place where data bases, cases studies, specialistsfile,bibliographies, and works record are shared... Setting up a net work allows to coordonate and to strenghten all the abilities of the sociopsychological rehabilitation actors. The new means of communication via internet allow to set up a virtual structure which would be a place to share and memorise, and also to inform strangers about the work done in the Centers -setting up a web page of presentation, a chattering forum site... In the field of sociopsychology the Competence Notebook and the Resource Center will help the different categories of Center's employees in their work.. 2-2-3 Analysis of the themes adressed during the training period Context : in a mutating society, a loss of values, structures and a weak internalization of the interdicts lead some people to acting-out. Violence, from a general point of view. Theme treated from psychological, sociopsychological and sociological point of view. - Sociological definition of violence - Psychological definition of violence - Acting-out : death wish, rape, suicide (attempt to), incest and all categories of ill-treatment : lectures and case-studies. - Addictive behaviour (drug, alcohol) : methods to work with young people, and vulnerable groups. ll
- Violence in family life : violence against children, women, old people. - Culture of violence, marginalisation - Types of violence in Ukraine (lecture) - Results of studies done in the Centers -Death, grief (lecture) Crisis : Social crisis, with the part of social work and psychology to help the persons who need assistance. Lecture about crisis management, burn out and debriefing. Methods : - an analytical form is distributed to the workshops participants to allow each person to analyse the different categories of work he has to carry out on this field. - case study, film projection, role playing - discussions between social workers, psychologists and activity organisers to understand the new difficulties they have to face. 12
2-3 Assessment of the training activités per category of participants 2-3-1 In Group 1 - Managers - Analyses of strong and weak points of the Centres' operation - Investigation of various roads toward self-sustainability - Integration of the professional' work in the general context of self-sustainability of the Centers - Work on potential cooperation between Centers - Self-sustainable management in the context of the Centres - Introduction to marketing,financialanalysis and accounting - Introduction into microeconomic, working out business plan - Study of a possible associative structure for the Centres, introduction to NGO, work on the notion of Resource Centre. Trainers/co-trainers: Priscilla Celier, Dmitry Pankov, Yuri Shwalb, Oksana Garnets. 2-3-1 In Group 2 - Psychologists and social workers: - Analysis of specificity of Centres' professionals' operation in crisis society - Identification of the most vulnerable groups and risk groups among population - Identification of adequate forms of psychosocial support for the groups identified - Abuse: social and psychological aspects; physical, verbal and sexual abuse; types of abused, their psychological characteristics - Social and psychological consequences of child abuse; psychological diagnostic and individual reaction towards abuse - Social and psychological factors of abuse - Abuse prevention, methods used in the centres 13
- Family abuse, fears, support groups for abused - alcohol and drug addiction - definitions of crisis - Psychology, mechanisms of cognitive adaptation to crisis - Psychological reaction to losses, grief psychology; support to children and adults in grief; psychological support to children in loss; individual consulting - Rehabilitation of professionals working with grief - Introduction to NGO - Resource Centre Trainers/co-trainers: Marie-Therese Neuilly, Vitali Panok, Andrey Dorozhevets, Yuri Swalb, Oksana Garnets. 2-3-2 In Group 2 - activity organizers: - Analysis of specificity of Centres' professionals' operation in crisis society - Identification of the most vulnerable groups and risk groups among population - Identification of adequate forms of psychosocial support to the groups identified - Development of professional competence of activity organizers - Sharing professional experience, developing experience and skills in efficient cooperation with psychologists and social workers in the Centre; art therapy techniques - Abuse: social and psychological aspects; physical, verbal and sexual abuse 14
- Types of abused, their psychological characteristics - Social and psychological consequences of child abuse, psychological diagnostic and individual reaction towards abuse - Social and psychological factors of abuse - Abuse prevention used in the Centres, family abuse, fears, support groups - Alcohol and drug addiction - Definitions of crisis psychology, mechanisms of cognitive adaptation to crisis - Psychological reaction to losses, grief psychology; support to children and adults in grief - Psychological support to children in loss, individual consulting - Rehabilitation of professionals working with grief; introduction to NGO - Resource Centre Trainers/co-trainers: Marie-Therese Neuilly, Vitali Panok, Andrey Dorozhevets, Yuri Swalb, Oksana Garnets. 15
CONCLUSIONS The objective of Phase 1 of the present training was to promote the notion of self-sustainability (i.e. ability in the future to operate in the most efficient way possible without the support of Unesco, both financial and training wise) by developing both the professionnal skills of the specialists in the sociopsychologicalfield and the management skills of the managers. As thefirststep of a one year programme, it also allowed the trainers to identify more precisely the needs for further training. During the training, both theoretical and practical knowledge were acquired, and the progress of the professional abilities of the Centers' personnel was noticed by the trainers. It simultaneously became quite clear that in the future the Centers need to develop some type of methods in order to work together, since their strength lies in their collaboration and complementarity. Therefore meetings such as the one in held in Minsk, are important from two points of view : - acquisition of knowledge, both in sociopsychology and management - continuation of the thinking process about how to work together in the future. 16