On May 31, 2017, Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili held a working meeting with representatives of central and local authorities about social rehabilitation programs for children in Georgia. Exchange of information about programs for children with disabilities offered by the state and local authorities, existing challenges and the ways of their elimination were discussed at the meeting in order to support planning of needs-based programs in a coordinated way, development of services and protection of the rights of children with disabilities.

Analysis of the situation of children with disabilities and their social rehabilitation in the country shows the need for expansion of services. Although the Social Rehabilitation and Child Care State Program taken into account the interest of children with disabilities, it cannot fully meet their needs, which is caused by the fact that relevant measures have been planned over the years without studying the needs of the target groups and in the absence of statistical data. As a result, the number of sub-programmer seekers is high.

Scarce resources for social protection measures in the municipalities are mainly used for one-time activities or are reflected in various target programs in a fragmented way.

The practice of coordinated work between the central and local authorities during the planning of social rehabilitation programs is scarce. However, representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia expressed readiness to provide local self-governments with consultations during planning relevant activities.

Representatives of the parental organization Families against Discrimination, as well as the specialists who are engaged in the delivery of program services, spoke about the shortcomings in the programs and the existing challenges. Particular attention was paid to the need of elaboration of a state strategy document on autistic spectrum, as well as the necessity of proper training of personnel working directly with children.

The Public Defender once again called on the officials to expand the services under the Social Rehabilitation and Child Care State Program and increase their accessibility for children with all disabilities. Attention should also be paid to the expansion of geographic availability in the regions. At the same time, it is important the local government to ensure correct distribution of resources and offer persons with disabilities programs tailored to the needs of children with disabilities.