Kosovo New tools for school psychologists in Kosovo

Project : MARIO 23 Dec 2010 | prevention protection systems

Prishtina, Kosovo, December 2010:After the first training module on Child Protection in Schools conducted in November, school psychologists/pedagogues and psychologists of various NGOs participated in the second module of this training with the same topic. Organized in the frame of Mario Project with the collaboration of the Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogy of Prishtina University, the training was attended by 33 participants, all field professionals dealing with children issues.

The topics discussed, among others, during this two-days training were:

• Actors and responsibilities within the school Child Protection Network,
• Child Protection Management System for Professionals,
• Professional relationships of school psychologists / pedagogues,
• Universal Declaration of Ethical Principles for Psychologists and the Peer Counselling Model.

All the topics were chosen from the manual for Child Protection in Schools, developed by a group of experts who also conducted the current training. The experts are pedagogues at the Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogy in Prishtina University and have an excellent reputation through their contribution to the field of psychology.

The first phase of the training on child protection issues was more theoretical, while the second part was more interactive through working groups where everyone shared his/her opinion and concerns. Video presentations on how to work with children and brainstorming debates also occurred. At the end of the training, based on trainees’ request, it was decided to organize peer counseling between professionals starting from January 2011. This will help all psychologists to find constructive and better solutions for the children. [KV]