Government of the Republic of Moldova Approves Mobile Team Service to Benefit Individuals with Disabilities and their Families

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Chisinau, Moldova – October 5, 2011 – On Friday, September 30, the Regulations and Quality Standards of the Mobile Team Service entered into force. These Regulations and Quality Standards had been approved by the Government of the Republic of Moldova on September 22.

With the approval of the Mobile Team Service, people with disabilities and their families who live in rayons in Moldova where specialized services do not exist will be able to receive free care within their own homes. Within the past three months, 125 people have benefited from Mobile Team Services. The normative regulations for the Mobile Team Service were developed by the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family with technical support from the Community for All-Moldova Program, implemented by Keystone Human Services International Moldova Association (Keystone Moldova). Financial support was provided by the Open Society Mental Health Initiative and the Soros Foundation-Moldova.    The development of the Mobile Team Service will help accomplish the commitments assumed by ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to create a legal environment, practical support and social inclusion for people with disabilities, as well as to create equal opportunities for all people within the community.

The Mobile Team Service serves as an alternative to other, more costly services, such as day or residential centers. The service includes several social service professionals who provide free assistance and psychological counseling, speech therapy, rehabilitation services, physical therapy, medical advice and other services at home to prevent children and young people from being institutionalized and to facilitate social inclusion of children with disabilities and their families. Services are provided based on the unique needs of the individual. Specialists from the Mobile Teams visit each family and evaluate the needs of the child or family member. Based on these identified needs, the specialists work together with local authority representatives and the person’s closest relatives to develop an individualized support plan.

Since 2010, the Mobile Team Service has been established in seven rayons and two municipalities in Moldova. In addition to the Mobile Team Service, the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, with support from Keystone Moldova through the Community for All-Moldova Program, has developed and approved the Strategy of Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities and the Framework Regulation and Quality Standards for the Community Home and Supported Living services. These laws regulate the activities of Community Homes in three rayons and Supported Living in two rayons.   Currently, the Community for All-Moldova Program supports 291 people. Forty-nine of those individuals are young men who have left the institution in Orhei and rejoined their communities, 34 have received differentiated assistance to prevent institutionalization, 125 people have benefited from the Mobile Team Service and 40 people have benefited from services offered by resource centers in inclusive education.   Keystone Human Services (KHS) brings approximately $125,000,000 in services to communities world-wide and employs over 3,000 people who are dedicated to supporting individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities and mental illness as well as vulnerable children and families throughout Pennsylvania, Connecticut, parts of Delaware and Maryland as well as regions of Moldova and Russia. Keystone also consults with human service entities in Azerbaijan and South Africa.
 
KHS and its family of agencies are dedicated to creating an environment where all people, regardless of background and ‘ability,’ can grow, make choices, and be valued and contributing members of their community.
 
Inquiries about Keystone Human Services and its entire spectrum of community-based services are welcome. Contact Ann Moffitt, Vice President of Community Development at 717-232-7509 or amoffitt@keystonehumanservices.org.   KEYS17392