Service Name
LUSHNJA DEVELOPMENT CENTRE Service Provider
one or more individual or in-group therapeutic services, from one to several times per week. The circulation of the child from one service to another and the polyvalence of the specialised staff are the main features of this service model. Professional service providers
Lushnja Municipality
The service is provided by a multidisciplinary staff consisting of: 1 supervisor, 1 social worker, 2 speech therapists, 5 psychologists, 2 physiotherapists and 7 supporting staff.
Contact Information
Service development history
Address: Lagjia “Xhevdet Nepravishta”, pranë spitalit
“Ihsan Çabej” Telephone: +355 (0) 696271784/ (0) 699763888 E-mail: bashkia_lushnje@yahoo.com;
qendraezhvillimitlushnje@gmail.com Web page: www.bashkialushnje.gov.al Facebook: Qendra e Zhvillimit Lushnje
Lushnja Development Centre was established in 2016 with the support of UNDP and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The centre was initially designed to serve only children from the city of Lushnja. After the territorial administrative reform, as a result of which 10 administrative units (former communes) joined the municipality of Lushnja, the Centre was tasked with providing social care services for children with disabilities living in the whole territory of the current municipality. The Centre started working with a staff of 6 employees, while today it has about 11 specialist employees and 7 support staff.
Service description
Innovation
Lushnja Development Centre is a community centre providing therapeutic, rehabilitation, and educational services to maintain and increase social, physical and personal autonomy of children with disabilities aged 2 - 16. Services include developmental (educational) therapy, speech therapy, work therapy and physical therapy, as well as recreational and socialization activities. Service provision is organised in three different time slots. In the morning, service is provided for children not attending schools or kindergartens; around noon, for the children who attend schools or kindergartens with reduced hours and, in the afternoon, for children who attend schools or kindergartens regularly. The period during which a child continues attending services at the centre is based on the individual development plan according to which a child can receive
The centre and its services were a novelty for Lushnja municipality. Prior to its opening, no public or non-public services for children with disabilities existed in the territory. The services provided by the centre are specialized and multidisciplinary at the same time, guaranteeing a multifaceted training and development for the children, preparing them for an autonomous living within the family, school and community. Another innovation the model has brought about is the intervention at a child’s early age and as a result close cooperation with nurseries and kindergartens whereby the staff of the centre regularly goes to identify children with disabilities from an early age, especially those within the autism disorders spectrum. Thanks to this identification, children become part of the service and are treated with the adequate therapies.
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