Karin Dom with an Award for Social Innovation
The Karin Dom Foundation was awarded the prestigious second place in the 2020 Ministry of Labor and Social Policy’s “Annual National Award for Social Innovation in Support of the Social Economy” competition in the “Social Innovations Related to the Provision of Social Products and Services” category .
Maya Doneva, Executive Director of Karin Dom, attended an official ceremony at the Ministry, where the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Denitsa Sacheva, and Deputy Ministers Sultanka Petrova, Adriana Stoimenova and Lazar Lazarov presented the awards. The main purpose of the award is to promote the development of social innovations in support of the social economy and social entrepreneurship and increase the visibility and role of social enterprises.
In the conditions of a pandemic from 13.03.2020, Karin Dom transformed all its activities into online services – therapy, social and psychological support for families, trainings for parents, trainings for parents and specialists, play activities, conferences, seminars, projects and programs. Karin Dom is proud of its well developed and implemented innovative family-oriented practices in conditions of a pandemic. These service innovations have allowed us to continue working, which is extremely important for all the children with special needs and their families that Karin Dom works with.
Karin Dom’s team’s ability to respond quickly and efficiently managed to transform their work from physical to remote. As a result, it became one of the few centers for social services in Bulgaria which not only did not stop its work, but also managed to develop it. The challenges were countless – both for the team and for the parents. Starting from the purely technical barriers and reaching the understanding and adoption of online services. Some of the most impressive innovative practices and unique ideas that Karin Dom has mastered and applied in pandemic conditions are based on the family-oriented approach that is the basis of all the services that Karin Dom offers: “Karin Dom in a Box”, ” Multi-sensory Educational Garden”, “Online Lectures, Webinars and Trainings for Parents and Specialists”. Some ideas that were born during the pandemic and for which Karin Dom was able to find like-minded people and funding and should implement in the coming months are: “Karin Dom on Wheels” and “Baby Box” – with the support of the Kahane Foundation.
Supporting families in emergency situations to ensure access to services, materials and environment necessary for the child’s development is an exceptional challenge that requires a lot of experience, skills, knowledge, preparation, teamwork, resilience, motivation, inspiration. Through all the new and innovative services that Karin Dom has introduced, we have provided support to children with special needs and their families who do not have access to therapeutic and educational services in the context of COVID-19. By developing new methods of work, by selecting new channels for work and communication, by adapting to the new conditions of work and life in the crisis, families have the opportunity to continue the therapy of their children in the best and qualitative way possible.
As a result of the therapeutic online sessions, trainings, lectures, psychological and social consultations and other services, we manage to preserve the mental health of the parents, balance in the family, persistence in working with the child. Families are empowered to cope, adapt and seek solutions in crisis situations.
