The signing of the agreement secures non-refundable funds from the European Social Fund Plus for a three-year project that will bring continuous speech therapy and psychosocial support to children and families in the Labin area.
At the City of Labin premises on Friday, August 7, 2026, the Agreement on the Allocation of Non-Refundable Funds for the project "Slagalica - Integrated Services for Children and Parents" was signed. This is a joint venture between the Labin Zdravi Grad Association and the City of Labin, with a total value of 238,719.60 euros, fully financed by the European Social Fund Plus.
The project will last three years, with its main goal being to increase the availability and quality of social services for children, youth, and their families in the Labin area. The signing was attended by Mayor Donald Blašković, Program Coordinator of Labin Zdravi Grad Hana Šiljan, speech therapist Gea Poropat, and representatives of city departments Borjan Batagelj, Robert Mohorović, and Vesna Blažina, who will provide support during implementation.
One of the key breakthroughs of the project is the employment of a full-time speech therapist. Previously, the City of Labin funded the visit of a speech therapist from Rijeka, who was available once or twice a week. Although this model helped many families, the needs far exceeded the possibilities.
"The City of Labin has long recognized the importance of timely professional support for children and has funded the visit of a speech therapist from Rijeka, who conducted treatments with children from our city once or twice a week. Although this model was of great help to many families, the needs were significantly greater than what such an approach could provide. That's why this project is an extremely important step forward," said Mayor Donald Blašković.
The new model ensures continuous support not only for children from Labin but also for those from surrounding municipalities: Kršan, Pićan, Raša, and Sveta Nedelja. This will significantly reduce waiting lists and the need to travel to more distant cities.
In addition to speech therapy, the "Slagalica" project brings a range of other services. It includes psychosocial assistance for children and youth, parenting support, socio-emotional learning workshops, and special workshops for children with developmental disabilities. Target groups include children and youth at risk, those with behavioral issues, children with disabilities, and their parents, guardians, and foster families.
"The 'Slagalica' project was created as a response to needs we have recognized for years in our daily work with children, youth, and their families. Needs analyses, expert experience, and conversations with parents have shown that there is a need for more accessible, continuous, and interconnected services that will provide timely support to children and their families," said Program Coordinator Hana Šiljan.
Šiljan emphasized that psychosocial assistance, speech therapy support, workshops for children, and parenting support programs complement each other, enabling a holistic approach to each child and their family. "We believe that such an integrated model can yield the best results," she added.
Mayor Blašković reminded that this is not the first such project. After the "SIGURAN KORAK" project, which improved the support system for the elderly, "Slagalica" further strengthens the network of services aimed at younger generations. "This is an investment in a better future for our community and confirmation that we are systematically developing social services for all generations," concluded Blašković.
