The Heřmánek (“Camomile”) Civic Association in the city of Karviná, an organisation that operates a Halfway House of the same name, has won the highest recognition in its field – the Award for Quality in social care. Heřmánek, an establishment supported by the city of Karviná and by OKD Foundation, won the award in the category of services provided to people at risk of social exclusion. The jury selected the best projects from almost one hundred nominations.
For Heřmánek, the Award for Quality represents a sign of appreciation of the work of all the experts and volunteers involved, and also signals a commitment to the future. “’We do not want to become complacent, we are focusing on expanding our work with younger children, to make sure they do not end up in institutional care,“ said Pavel Sporysch, director of the Association.
Sporysch narrated one of the many touching stories from the lives of his clients, saying: “For instance, we recently admitted 14-year-old Monika, who turned to social workers for help herself, to our facility for children requiring immediate help. She no longer wanted to live with her mother – an alcoholic, who would lock her up in the flat, and often did not give her any food. Monica was in a poor psychological state and faced placement in a children‘s home. However, we succeeded in reactivating her contacts with her aunt, who admitted her into foster care.“
The jury of experts took an interest in such stories, as it was charged with assessing the methods and approaches applied when working with clients. “The jurors were highly interested in the individual growth plans that we prepare together with each client. Their most frequent goals include the finding and keeping of a job, completing an education or learning to manage one‘s finances. Thanks to well-established methods, tried and tested during our 12 years of experience, we are doing an excellent job of it,” Sporysch added.
The Halfway House operated by Heřmánek has already helped more than 500 young people to return to normal life, most of them former foster residents of children‘s homes.
The Award for Quality is organised by Social Care (Sociální péče) specialist magazine, and by the Council for Quality of the Czech Republic, under the auspices of the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.