Youth and Family Office, community-based model for raising vulnerable children.

Toni Codina on 24 May 2022

Community model of care for vulnerable children and teenagers in the Austrian municipality of Graz, which seeks to strengthen resources for families, and to identify and resolve their specific needs. It is designed so that the child or teenager and the family are at the center, with an approach that takes into account the domestic and social context in which they live.

The initiative has been developed in four districts of the city, and focuses mainly on avoiding the institutionalization of the most vulnerable children. The program’s approach is preventive, offering families who are expecting a child to receive information free of charge and to participate in a wide range of activities to prepare them for future parenting. Some of the activities offered are home visits by professionals, as well as free lectures and courses. Attendance at these courses provides a booklet with stamps that provide an economic incentive exchangeable for other services in the city, such as visits to parental counseling centers.

Once the children are born, parents receive counseling, and if special needs are identified, they can be transitioned to specialized services. The program is also aimed at older ages, including adolescence, with services such as nursery schools or youth centers, as well as leisure activities and digital support.

Graz’s model promotes flexible assistance tailored to the needs of each family, which is always involved in the research and identification of solutions.

Characteristics of innovation

Lab, Bank of innovations, Childhood, Families and upbringing, Integrated care, Link with the community, New model of intervention, Personalization of the service, Proximity care, Self-management and participation, User empowerment

Localization

Graz, Austria

Partners / Funders

Graz City Council

Genesis

Despite its drawbacks, institutionalization of children from vulnerable families is widely used in many European countries. Graz is promoting this pioneering program to reduce institutionalization during childhood and promote a more community-based, child- and family-centered parenting model.

Level of implementation

The initiative has had very positive and effective results during the pandemic, during which many of the activities were digitized or transformed into a hybrid format, maintaining contact with families and protecting their well-being in the midst of the health alert. During the pandemic, the number of families served even increased, thanks to the adaptability and flexibility of the program coordinators and staff.

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Hoplr, a neighborhood social network to strengthen mutual support and inclusion

Toni Codina on 10 May 2022

Social network aimed at creating social capital among neighbors in a neighborhood. It builds local communities that go hand in hand with current social changes to create fully inclusive and participatory cities.

The initiative aims to put community at the center of neighborhood life, as it considers mutual support to be one of the key elements of neighborhoods. It works free of charge for all types of mobile devices and access is based on each person’s address. To connect neighbors in the same area, neighborhoods are geographically delimited and only profiles from the same neighborhood have access to messages posted within it.

People using the application can meet other people living in the same neighborhood, ask for help to carry out different tasks, or help other neighbors with their needs. In addition, it is a good tool for organizing activities or events such as bike tours or game nights. Hoplr promotes care among the people who participate, whether it is companionship when a person is sick, shopping for elderly people who ask for it, or finding a person to take care of children for a few afternoons during the week.

As for public institutions, they cannot see the conversations between neighbors, but they have the possibility of publishing messages to inform about new developments, with which neighbors can interact and contribute ideas. In other words, it is a social network that promotes direct communication between neighborhood demands and the actions carried out by municipal authorities.

It is a social network free of commercial and advertising intervention, which works respecting the privacy of users, to create a safe environment for communication and citizen participation.