Behaviour problems of children is one of actual problems in school coming into contact with teachers, parents, social services and inspectorate for protection of children’s rights. Still this problem can be prevented before child and his surrounding gets in critical situation, if support is handed already in preschool or primary school period, when the models of child’s behaviour are just forming.
The aim of project – till May 2016 improve support measures that are available for families in Riga, having children in preschool or primary school age with behaviour problems, thus preventively eliminating further behaviour problems and their impact on child and his life in society.
In result it is planned to create new support measure for target group in Riga – families, having children with behaviour problems, during its preparation and approbation offering support to 36 families and 24 their teachers, training 25-30 psychologists, preparing handbook and research.
Main activities – training of specialists, elaboration of handbook, selection of participants and approbation of program (groups and individual consulting of children, parents and teachers), research and distribution of results.

Project results: The objectives of the project have been reached. The project improved support measures that are available for families in Riga with children in preschool or primary school age with behaviour problems, thus preventively eliminating further behaviour problems and their impact on the child and their life in society.
The program STOP 4-7 has been piloted for children with behaviour problems, within which 36 children from 35 families and 23 teachers have received support and attended both group classes and individual consultations. In parallel with the program activities research on the effectiveness of the program has been carried out. The research concluded that the program STOP 4-7 as a multimodal intervention, which combined both parental skills training and training for teachers and children’s social skills training, is an effective approach to reducing child externalising behaviour changing parent’s corrective behaviour.
55 specialists attended trainings run by Lithuanian and Belgian lectures and thus improved their knowledge of children with behavioural disorders. Three program STOP 4-7 handbooks for children, parents and teacher trainings have been developed.
8 volunteers helped with the project implementation and group activities.
Meetings with representatives of the state, local government and educational institutions were organized to introduce them with the program and its results, as well as to ensure possible cooperation in the future. It is planned to organize a new program STOP 4-7 group in the autumn of 2016 and groups in collaboration with the Riga City Council in 2017.
Project launch and closer events have been held, press release has been drafted.
The cooperation between the Project partners has been evaluated as positive. The representatives of the project partner The Autism Society of Latvia were trained in order to be able to provide individual consultation and group classes for the program STOP 4-7 families. They also participated in the developing the handbooks. The funding was not allocated to the partner.