Our non-profit organization BUDÚCNOSŤ, n.o. operating in Nitra and the wider area is currently implementing a project called “FUTURE WITHOUT VIOLENCE”. Improvement and innovation of services provided for persons at risk of violence in the context of addiction, which is implemented from October 2022 to March 2024. The goal of the project is to offer specialized services for persons experiencing violence in connection with addiction, while it is directly addressed to clients experiencing violence in the context of addiction, children of clients at risk of violence in the context of addiction, teaching staff of primary schools and also the general public by bringing the topic closer and, in particular, providing the possibilities of solving the mentioned problems. We present a series of mini-interviews with female employees of our organization, who at the same time represent various types of so-called helping professions.
Interview with the project coordinator PhDr. PETRA BALÁŽIOVÁ, PhD.
OT: Hi Petra, how are you today?
OD: Thank you for asking, I am well, happy and working. We have summer, holidays, so I try to be in a more holiday mode, but I don’t always succeed.
OT: Right from the start, I can’t help but state that we are meeting in a pleasant environment of your center, in a room equipped mostly with children’s toys. What exactly is this room for?
OD: This room we are in now serves as a playroom for the children we work with. There are also various didactic aids. The children who come to us are the children of clients who are seeking help in the field of violence in the context of addiction.
OT: So we already know a partial scope of your professional activity, but what is its main content and especially who makes up your clientele? We can easily touch on the history of the establishment of this center.
OD: Since 2007, we have provided outpatient services focused on complex programs in the field of addiction treatment, both substance and non-substance. We are visited by people abusing substances (including alcohol) and excessively focused on harmful addictive activities, addicted to addictive substances (including alcohol) and addicted to harmful addictive activities, family members who need advice on how to solve the situation in the family, and their close people. We have become an accredited entity of the Ministry of Justice to provide assistance to victims of crimes and persons at risk of violence in the context of addiction. At the end of 2018, we established the Center for Children and Families. In an outpatient form, we focus on solving the problem of risky behaviour of children and their parents in the context of abuse of psychoactive substances / including alcohol/, risky behaviour of children and their parents in relation to technology, and also on solving addiction. Our individual activities take place individually and in groups.
OT: What types of professionals are there in your organization and why?
OD: The services are provided by a professional team of employees, which consists of social workers, a psychologist, a lawyer, a special pedagogue, we also have students of the social work department who use elements of the BUDDY program in their work. They are experts in their topics – addictions, violence, risky behavior of children. It is essential for us to have them in such representation in order to provide comprehensive care to clients and their children.
OT: What is your position and main task in the organization?
OD: I am in the position of a social worker and a coordinator of the project we are implementing. My primary target group are adult clients abusing or addicted to substances or non-substance addicts and their family members, victims of crimes, and persons at risk of violence in the context of addiction.
OT: Your website provides information about your many projects. Which ones are currently implemented by your centre? Tell us more please.
OD: Yes, we have already implemented a number of projects, whether larger or smaller. Currently, from October 2022, we have been implementing a large project FUTURE WITHOUT VIOLENCE – Improvement and innovation of services provided for persons at risk of violence in the context of addiction, which is financed from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and the Slovak state budget. The project focuses on providing specialized assistance to persons at risk of violence in the context of addiction and their children. We also pay attention to the education of pedagogical staff of elementary schools, which is aimed at expanding the skills and competences of teachers in identifying problematic behavior of children.
The project partner, the ALEJ Consulting Center from Bratislava, which meets the EU standards and has high professional credibility, also participates in the implementation of the project. The workers are recognized experts working long-term in the field of domestic and gender-based violence, focused on providing effective interventions in the field of violence and trauma.
