Problem addressed
For many years, in Cyprus, there has been a shortage of qualified care workers to work with persons with disabilities in their homes. As a result, persons with severe mobility issues caused by spinal injuries, including paraplegia and tetraplegia, mainly had to rely on family for help or to employ unskilled domestic workers.
Innovative solution
The En Ergo: Independent Living project is implemented by the Cyprus Paraplegic Organisation (CPO) to train unemployed people to become home-care service professionals for persons with disabilities. The project seeks to facilitate independent living and social inclusion for all people with similar disabilities.
The project began in 2018 and will run until 2023. It is fully funded by the ESF through schemes serving two purposes:
1. Creating skilled professionals to provide home-care services for persons with disabilities.
2. Decreasing unemployment by hiring unemployed persons;
The innovative approach targets both unemployment and the development of quality care services, thereby encouraging social inclusion.
The project offers unemployed people the opportunity to obtain the European Care Certificate[1], a Europe-wide qualification which fully qualifies them for a carer role. The European Care Certificate was developed by the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) in partnership with organisations active in the social sector from 17 European countries. It covers the basic knowledge required for an individual to work in a health and social care setting and
Applicants for the training must understand the scope of the role and be committed to working as home-care workers or personal care assistants in the long term.
Participants undertake a training curriculum tailored to care needs, followed by 25 hours of practical work experience. The CPO provides continuous support to its members through a personal on-call assistance service from midday to midnight.
The CPO is responsible for implementing the project and collaborates with relevant government departments to design training, identify potential candidates, contract, monitor and develop those individuals, then support them as employees in their daily work.
The project helps to change the perspectives of persons with disabilities, by empowering them to participate in daily activities, improving their social inclusion, as well as their quality of life. It has also relieved family members from daily support activities, and in some cases allowing them to reintegrate into their professions.
The CPO aims to improve standards of living and promote equality and inclusion for paraplegic people. The project design and implementation reflect the importance of independent living for the CPO.
The Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance is indirectly involved in the project, by approving the 100% ESF funding through schemes targeting both unemployment and the improvement of the quality of services.
Professionals from various disciplines have been employed to administer the financial aspects of the project, budgeting, operation technicalities and human resources management, to ensure efficient processes and systems, and to fulfil the obligations pertaining to ESF management.
Key results and benefits
The service to the end client is closely monitored by members of the CPO. In addition, qualitative and quantitative audits are regularly carried out by the government.
Annual member and employee satisfaction surveys collect feedback on the service. Based on the feedback received, the CPO has managed to further adapt the services to the end clients’ needs. For example, the feedback highlighted that it would be beneficial to broaden the aim and services of the programme to other categories of people with severe mobility issues. As a result, the CPO has broadened the scope of the programme and has welcomed to the programme a small number of members of the Cyprus Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The project has created a new job category and contributed to shifting mindsets towards independent living. This was achieved by focusing on the experience and knowledge of people with severe disabilities and by prioritising their needs. Comments from those who undertook the training highlight that the programme increased their confidence in respect of finding a job, as well as acceptance on the labour market.
Overall, 80 home care personal assistants are employed – 60% of whom are women and 40% are men. Depending on their eligibility and needs evaluation, CPO members can receive between three and six hours of services daily for free. To date, more than 120 000 hours of personal assistant services have been provided annually.
Potential for mainstreaming
En Ergo: Independent Living was launched with the joint aim of creating new employment opportunities and providing quality care services free-of-charge to CPO members.
Lessons from the project show the importance of designing the training curriculum around individuals’ practical needs, for this an assessment of needs of the people with disabilities is necessary. Careful selection of unemployed persons trained to become home care service professionals for people with disabilities is equally crucial to ensure that they can be trusted and remain dedicated to their duties and responsibilities. Applicants are chosen on the basis of their understanding of the scope of the role and their motivation to become a home care worker or a personal care assistant in the longer term.
The responsible authority or organisation needs to create a culture and supportive environment in which everyone involved feels welcome and safe.
Authorities must have a clear strategy and commitment to deliver actions via planning, monitoring, and motivating participants. Continuous feedback and adaptation are central to ensuring sufficient services, with immediate corrective action taken where necessary to overcome challenges.
