Social and care services involving people with disabilities were the subject of a visit by the Hajnówka group to the Sokółka County. The meeting was attended by representatives of the municipal government, including Mayor of Hajnówka Ireneusz Roman Kiendyś and Deputy Mayor Barbara Sadowska, city and county councillors, as well as representatives of social institutions (including the Municipal Social Welfare Centre and the Vocational Activity Workshop “Otulina Marzeń”). The purpose of the trip was to learn in practice about the organisation of social support and the functioning of, among other things: the operation of vocational activity workshops in Suchowola, Dąbrowa Białostocka and Sokółka, which are managed by the county. Thanks to the kindness of the Deputy Marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, Wiesława Burnos, we received reliable information about the creation, functioning and development of Vocational Activity Workshops (ZAZs), as well as about the sources of funding for the implementation of individual stages (including PFRON, the Podlaskie Voivodeship budget, and municipal budgets).

The trip was related to the planned construction in Hajnówka of a Vocational Activity Workshop with the functions of a Social Welfare Home under the Polish-Swiss City Development Programme. Direct experience of this type of institution was intended to illustrate the possibilities and the importance of establishing this institution in the city, taking into account the growing care needs of the elderly and people with disabilities in the context of building their professional career paths.

The participants also visited the “Jutrzenka” Family-Type Care and Educational Facility in Dąbrowa Białostocka, which fulfils the function of a “family home” for children without parental care, providing them with peace, a sense of security and family warmth.

The second place visited was the Care and Residential Centre in Suchowola, which provides day and 24-hour care for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Vocational Activity Workshops play a very important role in the development of local communities. These are places of work and rehabilitation for people with disabilities who, through employment, can develop their competences, strengthen their independence and actively participate in social life. For municipalities, this means not only the fulfilment of an important social function, but also the building of a local support system that combines vocational activation with care services and social integration. The Podlaskie Voivodeship is a pioneer in the number of established and operating ZAZs in Poland.

Emilia Korolczuk

Department of Entrepreneurship, Promotion and Tourism