As part of the implementation of a wider social protection plan for vulnerable groups, the Municipal Authority of Athens created an autonomous space at 45 Maizonos Street.
An important project with a strong social impact was launched today by the Municipality of Athens. This is the Child and Family Protection Center in Metaxourgeio, where in a new, autonomous and safe space, incidents of child abuse will be dealt with holistically. It is a step to effectively protect children who have been abused, exploited or neglected, as well as to support their families.
As part of the implementation of a wider social protection plan for vulnerable groups, the Municipal Authority of Athens created an autonomous space at 45 Maizonos Street.
The Center has been set up appropriately in order to provide with respect and sensitivity the appropriate support and protection in every contact of the victims with the agencies and at the same time to facilitate the access of the children and their families to the relevant services.
“Today is a good day”, initially said the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, during the event held on the occasion of the opening of the Center and continued: “The creation of the Child and Family Protection Center is just one stop on a journey which we should not underestimate. And we are optimistic for the first time, because we are not alone in this process. We are the link in a chain, an alliance created from “below”. Today we are taking a very big step. For the first time, an autonomous, modern, safe space exists and operates, which respects dignity and guarantees the rights of all. This space gains substance and meaning thanks to its 14 top-level people, members of a really strong team, which makes us very proud.”
And Mr. Bakoyiannis added: “Of course we know that we still have a long way to go. But we are very happy that we managed to get this far. Our work in social solidarity continues with a view to the safety, peace of mind and better living of the children, so that no one is left unprotected”.
Immediate response to incidents
The Support Center is staffed by ten social workers, three child psychologists, as well as the head of the Center, all specialized in child protection and children’s rights. The goal of this dynamic staffing is not only to achieve the management of the maximum number of cases, but also that the cases that arrive at the Center can proceed directly to the next stages.
On top of this, the deputy mayor of Social Solidarity and Civil Society, Katerina Gagaki, said: “With the establishment of the new Center, we essentially facilitate the accessibility of the victims and their families to the services of the municipality. A special team of scientific personnel will manage all incidents and above all will offer substantial and immediate assistance. In addition to intervention, the aim of the Center is also the timely prevention of cases of abusive behavior, which have increased significantly in recent years. Indicative of the need to operate this autonomous space is that only since the beginning of the year, more than 300 cases have reached our services, with the intervention of a prosecutor. The Center, at the same time, aims to develop comprehensive supportive education programs for parents, in order to ensure a better tomorrow for our children.”
How the holistic approach is achieved
Through the Center, an environment with an emphasis on the rights of the victims is created, accessibility to the relevant services is facilitated, the waiting time for cases is significantly minimized and, at the same time, further collaborations with bodies and civil society organizations are activated and developed, with the aim of immediate dealing with incidents of child abuse and empowering victims.
The ultimate goal of the operation of the new Center is prevention and early intervention in cases of abusive behavior towards children. As the role of the school and the educational staff is on the “front line” of identifying similar incidents, the Center’s specialized team will undertake the planning of awareness-raising, training and education actions for teachers in schools. The purpose is to achieve the timely and valid management of cases, which are perceived in the school environment.
At today’s event held at the Center, representatives from most child protection agencies and organizations were present.
Photos by Vassilis Lampiris
Source: Skai
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