The Best Practice Profile
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THE BEST PRACTICE PROFILE THE BEST PRACTICE PROFILE 1. Context Azuqueca de Henares is a town of 22,000 inhabitants in the province of Guadalajara, 45 km to the north-east of Madrid, Spain Lately, the population in the area has increased steadily. Most of the new population used to come from different parts of Spain; today the new inhabitants come from eastern Europe, Latinamerica and the north of Africa. Azuqueca is on the river Henares, an industrial area crossed by the Madrid-Barcelona motorway and an important railway and with the vicinity of the international airport of Barajas. The main economic sectors are services, industry (manufacture, medicines, graphic arts and logistics) and building. Economic growth is constant. 2. Introduction To know the Best Practice Profile in Azuqueca de Henares, Guadalajara, Spain, we have followed these steps: 2.1. Contact with associations and institutions that are interested in the cooperation between the volunteers and the social work agencies . They were invited to hold a meeting on 13th October. Thirteen associations attended and were invited to do a short research on know how the aforementioned cooperation was approached. Some of the associations have a volunteer programme, others don’t but would like to (town council social centre, youth centre, etc.) 2.2. Research. A qualitative research was made aimed at knowing how the social work agencies cooperate with the volunteers. These were the points discussed: - how volunteers are recruited - level of cooperation between the social work agencies and the volunteers - training offered to volunteers - how are recognition and supervision of their work done Sample: We have studied the cases of six associations that do not cooperate with volunteers but would like to and six others that are experienced in that cooperation. Associations that do not cooperate with volunteers: - Azuqueca’s town council social service centre - Alovera’s town council social service centre - Villanueva de la Torre’s town council social service centre Warsaw, Poland 10th December 2004 1 THE BEST PRACTICE PROFILE - Azuqueca de Henares’ town council Youth Agency - Azuqueca de Henares’ Women’s Centre - Association of the villages and towns along the river Henares Associations that cooperate: - Leonardo Murialdo Foundation - Gudalajara’s Cáritas - Guadalajara’s Red Cross - Guada-Acoge Association - Didesur - ADA (Azuqueca’s Handicapped) The research followed these lines: - aim of the research - study of the associations - instruments of information recollection - research in itself: - interviews to collect data for the survey - information recollection of institutional fact files - analysis and interpretation of the data recollected: - general conclusions - report production Instruments of information recollection - institution fact file (data of the institution, people they attend, programmes, activities they are involved in, financing,etc) - Survey to : Associations that do not cooperate with volunteers but would like to Associations that cooperate with them 2.3. Second meeting with the associations Held on 24th November. Presentation of the data recollected. Discussion on the volunteer profile that institutions want and the social situation; syllabuses of the centres that offer training to volunteers, budgeting problems of the volunteer associations. An important conclusion is that there is an urgent need for a LOCAL VOLUNTEER NETWORK. Warsaw, Poland 10th December 2004 2 THE BEST PRACTICE PROFILE 3. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES 1st PRACTICE : LEONARDO MURIALDO FOUNDATION 1. Author of the best practice 1.1. Association: Leonardo Murialdo Foundation 1.2. Address: Donantes de Sangre St., 19200 Azuqueca de Henares, Guadalajara, Spain 1.3. Phone no.: 0034 94927 72 30; Fax no.: 0034 949 27 72 29 1.4. e-mail: [email protected] 1.5. contact: José Lorenzo Paños ([email protected]) 1.6. profile: director 2. Help demanders Any person aged 8 and onwards from the Henares Area, specially from the towns and villages of Azuqueca, Alovera, Quer, Guadalajara, Cabanillas, Chiloeches 3. Summary of activites 3.1. Programmes : - School support from 3rd course of compulsory secondary education to 2nd course of non-compulsory secondary education - Social Guarantee (a vocational programme for students who have failed to finish the compulsory secondary education) - Vocational training - Cooperation for development (distance child sponsoring? 3.2. A synthesis of the activities developed by LEONARDO MURIALDO FOUNDATION: - school support - Air Conditioning and Freezing Systems Vocational Training - office management, electricity, graphic design and computing vocational programmes - distance child sponsorship with children in Napo, Ecuador in cooperation with the Apostolic Vicariate of Napo, managed by the Saint Joseph Gongretation (Josefinos de Murialdo) 3.3. Financial support of Guada-Acoge: mainly state grants and donations; secondarily, help from some of the beneficiaries of the activity Warsaw, Poland 10th December 2004 3 THE BEST PRACTICE PROFILE 4.Description ot the parthership/ cooperation between volunteers and the social work agency 4.1.Recruitment and contact of volunteers • -HOW – through advertisements in the media and personal knowledge (word of mouth) • -VOLUNTEER PROFILE-training and experience in the education field, altruistic attitude, communication skills. Before being accepted they are interview by the person in charge at the association. • COMMITMENT with the volunteer is achieved, noted down in the association fact file and signed by the volunteer • the association offers training and assurance • the volunteers support the programmes organised by professionals 4.2.Training • HOW – Continuous training is offered • There is training in the beginning and are invited to join the training activities organised by the association inside and outside the association itself • WHO- the association itself, through the programme coordinators • EVALUATION – done as part of the evaluation of the different programmes, through periodic meetings, personal interviews between the coordinator and the volunteers. Instruments: surveys, interviews,… 4.3. Recognition and supervision of the cooperation • The volunteer will be given the opportunity of attending meetings with other volunteers of the association on certain occasions, meals; he/she will be thanked and recognised • The programmes will be supervised by the corresponding team in charge of each programme. • How is the work of the volunteers measured: through the degree of satisfaction of the service users and of the association Warsaw, Poland 10th December 2004 4 THE BEST PRACTICE PROFILE 2nd Practice: CÁRITAS DIOCESANA SIGÜENZA 1. Author of best practice: 1.1.- Association : Cáritas Diocesana Sigüenza-Guadalajara 1.2.- Address: 9,Venezuela Avenue, Guadalajara. 1.3.- Phone no. : 0034 949 22 00 27 Fax no : 0034 949 21 18 02 1.4.- e-mail: [email protected] 1.5.- Contacto: Luisa 1.6.- Profile: Social worker 2.- Help demanders: Anybody from Guadalajara province. 3.- Summary 3.1.-Types of programmes: - Welcoming programme. - Basic social action programme - Social volunteer programme - Internacional cooperation programme - Old people programme - Job and social economy programme - Drug abuse programme - Homeless programme - Immigrant programme - Community Informatión and awareness programme 3.2. A synthesis of the activities developed by CARITAS DIOCESANA SIGÜENZA - Welcoming, information and assistance - Social and job inclusion - Solidarity and justice education - Social volunteerism - awareness - Solidarity with other peoples. 3.3. Financial support of CARITAS DIOCESANA SIGÜENZA Own means (members, donations and campaigns), and state grants. 3.4. Our aim is to promote volunteerism both from Cáritas Diocesana and from parish Cáritas . We are part of the Volunteer Promotion effort recently created by associations and foundations. Warsaw, Poland 10th December 2004 5 THE BEST PRACTICE PROFILE 4.- Description ot the parthership/ cooperation between volunteers and the social work agency: 4.1.Recruitment and contact of volunteers • HOW- through advertisements in the media, mainly on the radio, signs and letters addressed to the parishes, as well as personal knowledge • VOLUNTEER PROFILE – anybody with a will to help, with free time and 18 or over • COMMITMENT with the volunteer is noted down on a fact file and a track record of his/her activities is kept. • The association assures the volunteer and advices and accompanies him/her. • The programmes the volunteers work in are conducted by professionals; they mainly accompany the latter. 4.2.Training • HOW - It is continuous, though adapted to the amount of free time. A basic training is offered in the beginning and then specific training depending on the activity being developed. • WHO- The basic training is done by a member of the association and the specific training by a professional of each programme. • EVALUATION – Is done in volunteer gatherings (School for the social training of volunteers), the general practice and the specific activities done through surveys and interviews with the person in charge of each programme. • 4.3. Recognition and supervision of the cooperation • The volunteer is offered training and attendance to meetings with social work agencies, they are also awarded honours and badges. • the work developed by the volunteer is supervised by the person in charge of each programme. • this is done in meetings every two weeks, and the assessment noted down in the