Abu Dhabi: One of the most renowned social services organizations in the region, the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination (ZHO) and the Family Care Authority (FCA) in Abu Dhabi have decided to improve their mutual cooperation in the delivery of integrated social services for people of determination and their families.
Mr. Abdulla Abdulalee Al Humaidan, Secretary-General of ZHO, and Dr. Bushra Al Mulla, FCA Director-General, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize the deal at a ceremony organized at the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi (DCD) headquarters.
The MoU which covers various forms of social case management services, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, training, and data sharing on people of determination and their families, highlights the significance of partnership and collaboration between national entities responsible for delivering efficient services to support sustainable social development.
The formal arrangement strives to improve and integrate the social services provided by ZHO and FCA to the targeted groups to deliver a positive impact on society.
Under its provisions, both organizations will collaborate to develop and implement a series of preventive, curative and rehabilitative services and specialized training programs for people of determination.
In addition, the MoU facilitates the exchange of data and reports on targeted people and establishes dedicated communication channels to allow them to submit complaints. The agreement also facilitates the development of effective plans to support people of determination through social, psychological, and rehabilitation measures along with other measures in line with the mandates of ZHO and FCA.
ZHO has signed several MoUs and agreements with various government and private entities to provide best-in-class services to people of determination and their families. This ensures their assimilation into mainstream society and contributes to sustainable development in line with ZHO’s mandate and the directives of our wise leadership.
Mr. Abdulla Abdulalee Al Humaidan stated while welcoming the new agreement.
FAMILY CARE AUTHORITY INITIATIVE
The agreement will enable FCA to mobilize all forms of support possible to support people of determination and their families through a case management system and an integrated framework of services.
In addition to providing the data necessary to support their psychological and social wellbeing in line with international standards, the Authority will assess the challenges, proposals and legislation needed to improve and develop services for people of determination and their families and will also carry out joint research and studies needed to tackle those issues specific to them.
Sharing his view about the new MoU, Dr. Al Mulla observed that, “This MoU demonstrates FCA’s commitment to step up its efforts and enhance collaboration with like-minded organizations operating in the social sector in Abu Dhabi, especially ZHO. By increasing the efficiency of social services and improving beneficiary access, we will ensure that we achieve our shared goal of promoting an improved standard of living for families and strengthening the overall well-being of society.”
The FCA Director-General further added that, “The MoU will help us offer comprehensive social services to beneficiaries by adopting the latest practices in service integration and social case management.”
INITIATIVES BY ZAYED HIGHER ORGANIZATION FOR PEOPLE OF DETERMINATION
As part of the MoU, ZHO will commit its support and services for cases submitted by people of determination to FCA through the assistance of ZHO specialists based on case management plans and prior coordination between case managers from both entities.
The case managers will evaluate the cases based on assessments of hearing, sight, speech, mental and physical disabilities, functional and academic skills, behavior disorders and autism.
This will allow them to diagnosis the type and degree of disability and ensure appropriate psychological and social counseling for people of determination and their families that covers prevention and treatment of psychological, behavioral and adaptive problems and developmental disorders.
The Organization will also provide specialized training programs to meet the needs of people of determination and will also share data on these people and their families with FCA. In addition to offering specialized technical and professional advice on environmental specifications and standards for people of determination across FCA’s buildings and facilities, ZHO will provide services to support the case management of these people along with relevant research and studies. These measures will help identify the challenges and propose the legislation needed to improve the services offered to people of determination and their families.