The President of the Regional Government visited in Ponta Delgada the construction works of the Community Centre of the Child Support Institute (IAC). This investment of nearly 2.4 million Euros will provide a quality response to children and young people in promoting their autonomy.
 
"The main purpose of this investment is to respond to the needs of children and young people in Ponta Delgada and throughout the island of S. Miguel in the responses promoting their autonomy," said the Regional Secretary for Social Solidarity, who accompanied Vasco Cordeiro during this visit.
 
With this partnership for the construction of the new Community Centre, which should be completed in August, Andreia Cardoso pointed out that IAC "will reinforce its response capacity" in its several intervention areas. They cover nearly 300 children and young people.
 
According to the Regional Secretary, this partnership is justified by the fact that IAC provides differentiated responses in its area of intervention, namely the Youth Development and Inclusion Centre. It promotes the autonomy of young people and, consequently, their employability.
 
On the occasion, Andreia Cardoso told journalists that work carried out with regional Youth Development and Inclusion Centres, an innovative response nationwide, will now include a research phase in the training of technicians working with children and young people.
 
"Next month, we will start training courses aimed at technicians from Youth Development and Inclusion Centres in the area of prevention and control of dependencies so that may be better prepared to deal with this type of problem," announced the government official.
 
This Multipurpose Community Centre will comprise various areas of activity managed by the Child Support Institute, such as Street Animation, SOS-Child, Youth Development and Inclusion Centre, Guardianship Mediation services, training and information services as well as all the general services provided by the institution.
 
In the area of childhood and youth, there are investments of almost 13 million Euros underway on several islands, which include the construction and expansion of several day nurseries, kindergartens and free time occupation centres.
 
Also in this area, the Azores have about 300 social responses provided to more than 10,000 children and young people from all islands of the archipelago.