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Estonian Agrenska Foundation

is creating the Tammistu Family Centrer, which aims at optimal quality of life for children having disability due to different diseases and traumatic injuries.

Location: Tartu County, Tartu Rural Municipality - Manor of Tammistu, 15 km from Tartu.

Founders:

Why is this center needed?

There are more than 6700 children (0-18 years) with disability in Estonia. The actual number of children, having special needs, is somewhat bigger. In connection with the improved treatment of several chronic diseases and better survival of very premature sick newborns, it is expected that the number of children, requiring early (re)habilitation intervention, is going to increase.

Having a disabled child causes stress to family, having impact to all aspects of quality of life of the family. While there are several rehabilitation units/centres in Estonia, using team approach in their everyday work and activities, we still lack a family-centred counselling system, covering the whole Estonia and targeted to families with children with disabilities, and involving both psychosocial, educational and medical aspects. The needs of a child with disability are not merely medical, but also educational and psychosocial. Covering of this needs mainly depends on the coping abilities of a family. In Estonia there are not enough services, providing social support to families.

Functions of the center:

1. Family-based early intervention and counselling according to special needs of the child and existing family resources (introduction of "Estonian model")

2. Competence centre to work out and develop ideology for family-based counselling and its introduction in Estonia – disability-specific family programmes (with the help from the Ministry of Social Affairs)

3. Provision of respite care, aimed at the lessening the caring burden of the family

4. Teaching of social/coping skills to schoolchildren and adolescents with disabilities at weekends/vacations rehabilitation and respite camps

5. Training to rehabilitation professionals and other members of the network for families (family doctors, community social workers, teachers, nurses, personal assistants etc)

Resources to achieve the goals:

* 52 ha land and buildings, currently under renovation, purchased by Swedish partner, Stenströms AB, whose representative in Estonia is Stenströms Skjortfabrik Eesti OÜ

* Team of rehabilitation specialists and care-takers for children with disabilities, competent to provide services* Wide network of international contacts and the valuable experience of the Swedish founders in creating and running similar centre in Sweden

* Big interest of the local community government - Tartu vald Tartu Rural Municipality - to promote regional development of infrastructure and to provide stable social and economical development in this region

* The creation of this centre has been approved by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, who laid a cornerstone to future Tammistu Family Centre on 5 October, 2007, see photos: http://www.postimees.ee/galerii/index.php?picture=24303&cache=1&picoffset=0&galoffset=0&gallerydate=#pos

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