Services provided by asylum centre “Helena”
Target group:
- victims of domestic violence – women with or without children
- women – victims of trafficking in human beings
Accommodation services
This program is suitable for users who have passed five-day crisis accommodation and there is no contra-indication to accommodation service. This program is mediated by a contract about temporary accommodation. The classic length of stay is 6 months, and then there is a possibility of prolongation for other 6 months, which depends on cooperation of the client and her situation.
Basic rules of stay are based on the regulations of civic society “Magdalenium” and by domestic rules of asylum Helena.
Within the frame of accommodation the client can use also the following services:
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Legal counselling
This service is provided free of charge because of clients' bad financial situation. These consultations are specialized on Rules of Criminal Procedure, administrative law, family law, etc.
The lawyer introduces the clients with their rights and ways of solutions of their situation. The lawyer also gives proposals to court, writes interim measures etc.
The legal counselling is provided also externally within the range of financial means of the organization. External clients are users who have already ended their stay in the asylum but their situation is not solved or new clients gained by telephone help line.
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Psychological counselling
This service is provided once a week in asylum Helena and it is aimed at coping with traumatic experiences, heightening self-confidence, independence etc.
The psychological counselling is provided also externally in the range of financial means in Counselling service for children, youth and family in Brno.
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Group psychotherapy
This service takes place in two groups once a week for the duration of one year. The advantage is sharing of similar experiences of a homogenous therapeutic group (victims of domestic violence), which means increasing of effectiveness of work. The example of themes: forms of violence, self-confidence vs. domestic violence, connections between present situation and childhood experience, impact of domestic violence on self-confidence etc.
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Free time activities
The free time activities are provided for children during the time when their mothers take part in group psychotherapy (every Wednesday) or when clients have a chanace to use their free time to arrange their business, for example in offices, usually with the entourage of a social worker.
These activities are provided by part-time workers in social services in the form of educational activities.
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Video training of interactions
The video training of interaction is specialized on direct case work with the client in a form of a viderecording of ordinary situations with an emphasis on communication patterns in the mother-child relationship. This method is very effective and it helps in diagnostic of problematic or difficult situations, which arise due to the lack of understanding to these communication patterns. In addition this method helps women to strengthen the role of a mother, it enables facilitates the development of the child. It also improves clients' social skills, for example on the level of educational influence upon their children, or their cooperation with other institutions, e.g. a pedagogical counselling centre.
The method of video training of interaction enables to show victims of domestic violence how they react in ordinary situations and it helps to eliminate transmission of violent behaviour of children.
Telephone emergency help line
This service takes its course according to rules of telephone crisis intervention and hot lines. This help is aimed at a specific group of users – victims of domestic violence.
Telephone help line is provided by social workers within the frame of other work activities. All social workers have to take an accredited training course within the range of 120 hours (6 employees have done this course; one starts the training in the 2nd half of year 2007).
Emergency crisis help
This service is provided for the maximum period of 5 days.
The user gets acquainted with the conditions of the emergency help during the intake interview (stabilizations techniques, crisis intervention). Then the social worker and the user sign a contract about crisis accommodation.
There are also other available services:
- an intake psychological interview
- social counselling, and entourages to doctors, social departments, etc. It depends on individual needs of the client
Field work is also a part of crisis help, it means finding out more about the client’s situation by means of direct contact with a social worker of asylum centre “Helena”