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Sonček – Cerebral Palsy Association of Slovenia

Sonček – Cerebral Palsy Association of Slovenia, a social enterprise, is a non-profit, non-governmental, and non-political national disability organisation operating on the principles of social entrepreneurship.

The activity of Sonček’s Care and Work Centre (CWC) is intended for adults who, due to disabilities, cannot find employment in the open labour market or in companies employing people with disabilities. They are entitled to participate in a service that provides guidance, care, and employment under special conditions. CWC is organised in eleven Sonček centres.

Sonček Association has a concession from the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities for the service of guidance, care, and employment under special conditions. The provision of this service for 175 individuals in CWC complements and expands the public network, providing the opportunity for choice. The service is based on the principles of normalisation, equal opportunities, an individual approach to each individual, and the right to adulthood. It enables the realisation of the needs for training, employment, and social inclusion of a broader group of adults with disabilities.

The association brings together more than 4,000 individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, their families, and professional collaborators.

Sonček Association serves as a national representative disability organisation representing unified positions of societies. It collaborates on common tasks with other disability organisations in Slovenia and with other national disability organisations worldwide. It is directly involved in the International Cerebral Palsy Society (ICPS) and the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD).

Sonček Association has the status of an organisation operating in the public interest in the fields of social care, health, education, and culture.

Mission

Sonček Association advocates for equal opportunities for all residents of Slovenia, regardless of their physical and intellectual abilities, to live according to their own vision, in harmony with all other residents.

Vision

Sonček Association strives to create a cultural environment that accepts diversity in physical and intellectual abilities without value judgments.

Objectives

To create public opinion and a culture that is tolerant of diversity.
To create a legal and support system that ensures social inclusion and dignified living for residents with reduced intellectual or physical abilities.
To enable people with limited abilities to represent their interests independently or with the help of chosen representatives.
To organise services that promote social inclusion.
To seek new sources of funding and at least maintain the current level of financial resources.
To establish greater connectivity among the societies affiliated with Sonček Association.
To promote the values and quality standards of Sonček Association in Southeast European countries, actively participate in European associations, and engage in collaborative partnerships with other European countries.
To restructure the organisation through personnel reorganisation and resource allocation; to examine the most optimal organisation based on possible systemic conditions and economic possibilities.

Programmes and Services of Sonček Association

Sonček Protective Work Centres

Residential Groups and Adapted Housing

Sonček Association has been implementing a (customised) residential programme for adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities since 1991, gradually expanding it in terms of content and scope. Six residential groups (with 6 to 13 residents) are located in Ljubljana (two units), Dravograd, Koper, Pragersko, and Štore near Celje. We also offer the possibility of temporary and occasional inclusion, with increasing interest and need each year. In 2017, we acquired a new apartment in Ljubljana in Celovški dvori and began developing an additional social welfare programme for adapted living – training for independent and autonomous living. Sonček Association and the Sonček Dolenjska and Bela krajina Society obtained a new residential facility in Bučka, in the Škocjan municipality in 2022, allowing six adults with physical and/or intellectual disabilities to live outside their primary families.

Personal Assistance

Starting from 1 January 2019, when the new Personal Assistance Act came into effect, Sonček Association became the provider of this service based on the law. Personal assistance is intended for adults with disabilities in their active life period, with the aim of preventing institutionalisation and enabling individuals to realise their full potential and live as independently as possible.

Social Inclusion Service

In November 2022, Sonček Association began providing services under the Social Inclusion of Disabled Persons Act. These services are intended for users who want to live more independently, participate in activities at home and in the community, manage their affairs, or engage in hobbies, while needing support and assistance. Support persons help them plan and carry out activities at home and in the broader community. The aim of the services is to promote and develop the users’ abilities and increase their inclusion in society.

Counselling and Parent School

Sonček Association conducts activities to support families in various life situations. Activities related to developing responsive and sensitive parenting have been carried out for several years, either independently or in collaboration with societies. This work responds to the needs of both parents and professional workers who are in contact with families of children with special needs. The activities offer parents information on how to interact with their child, teach the importance of normalisation, and the significance of relieving family stress and improving relationships with the external environment.

One School for All – A Step Towards Sonček

Sonček Association has been providing education and training for inclusive support within the Step Towards Sonček project since 1993. The project’s goal is to create a suitable social climate for the inclusion of children and adolescents with special needs in regular forms of care and education. The aim of the project is to raise awareness and promote acceptance of diversity, as despite changes in legislation and the adoption of new regulations, challenges and misunderstandings regarding the goals of inclusion still persist.

Rehabilitative Rehabilitation

Sonček Association and regional cerebral palsy societies provide group rehabilitative rehabilitation programmes based on the Health Care and Health Insurance Act. The Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia co-finances follow-up rehabilitation for adults with cerebral palsy. Sonček Association implements follow-up rehabilitation programmes for adults with cerebral palsy at the Sonček Elerji Centre, the Sonček Vrtiče Centre, and the Laško Spa, while regional societies also offer them at other locations.

Health and Therapeutic Colonies

Regional cerebral palsy societies include participants in health and therapeutic colonies based on the recommendations of selected paediatricians. Therapeutic teams implement a verified programme in various locations throughout Slovenia, including health resorts, the Sonček Elerji Centre, and the Sonček Vrtiče Centre.

Inclusive Holidays

Sonček Association organises active spring, summer, autumn, and winter holidays every year for all children and adolescents (with and without special needs) and adults with various disabilities. The holidays take place at the Sonček Vrtiče Centre, the Sonček Elerji Centre, Bušeča vas, and other locations.

Sports and Recreation

Recreational programmes for children and adolescents with disabilities are mainly carried out by regional cerebral palsy societies. Sonček Association organises annual sports activities within the follow-up rehabilitation and holiday programmes for children and families, as well as optional sports competitions in chess, table tennis, darts, and boccia through the Sonček – Cerebral Palsy Sports Society.

Culture and Social Inclusion

Sonček Association’s vision in this area is to bring together and actively engage various social groups, especially those socially excluded, regardless of their intellectual, physical, sensory, or other abilities. The programme is intended for families with children and adolescents with special needs and adults with various forms of disabilities. In the Sonček centres, we also develop family centres programme.

Information Activities

The purpose of this activity is to inform and raise awareness among society members, employees, donors, sponsors, government authorities, and the broader public about the needs, interests, and current issues of people with disabilities, as well as to provide practical advice. We publish the Sončnik magazine, Yearbook, e-newsletters, various thematic brochures, manuals, and more.

Transportation

We provide daily transportation for people with special needs to care and work centres and residential groups in Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, Kranj, Slovenj Gradec, Ptuj, Murska Sobota, Koper, Krško, and Novo Mesto. We also provide transportation for follow-up rehabilitation, holidays, therapeutic colonies, and other Sonček Association programmes. We also provide transportation for our users to various cultural and sports activities.

Who are we?

Organisation name: Sonček – The Association of Cerebral Palsy Societies of Slovenia

Organisation address for correspondence: Rožanska ulica 2, 1000 Ljubljana

Headquarters location: Kamniška ulica 25, 1000 Ljubljana

Telephone: +386 1 534 06 67

Website: www.soncek.org

Email: zveza@soncek.org

Presidents of the Organisation: Emir Okanović

Director of the organization: Iztok Suhadolnik

Organisation activity: disability organisation

Registered in the Court Register: UE Ljubljana, serial no. 572

Tax identification number: SI13876970

Bank accounts: NLB d.d.: SI56 0208 5001 7410 410, SKB d.d.: SI56 0313 5100 0014 841

Status as a disability organisation granted by decisions: RS MDDSZ, no. 116-02/017/03-003, 116-02-017/03-010, and 116-02-017/03-028