Mission, Goals and Principles
The mission of social consultations provided by The Centre for Integration of Foreigners (Centrum pro integraci cizinců,CIC) is to help immigrants whose social circumstances can change for the worse due to the language barrier and a lack of knowledge of certain culture-specific concepts, their rights and obligations, legal regulations, and Czech institutions. Offering professional social counselling CIC contributes to the integration of immigrants in the Czech Republic and the improvement of their social situation.
The goal of social consultations is to provide a client with complete and clear information relevant to their situation and offer support which will help them find a solution to their unfavorable social situation that is in compliance with the law of the Czech Republic.
Principles
- Our work is based on the idea of social integration.
- We strive for respect for and acceptance of the legal system of the Czech Republic (and the EU) on the part of people from other countries as well as Czech society.
- We value individuality of each person (our current and potential clients) and respect their view of the experiences they are living through in the Czech Republic.
- We treat all people equally.
The service is offered in both in-office and on-site (field) formats, on the CIC premises and outside CIC.
RULES OF THE SERVICE (HOW DO WE WORK?)
CIC social worker will advise you on:
- the best way to integrate into Czech society, what your rights and obligations are;
- the alternatives available to you in your situation.
CIC social worker can:
- accompany you to a public office;
- help in the process of making a decision, though the decision itself is going to be solely yours.
CIC social worker cannot:
- act as your legal representative;
- provide only translation services.
Plan of work
Our social worker tells you about the Centre and the services we offer. You describe the issue with which you need our help. Then you both discuss what CIC can do for you (the goal of your collaborative effort).
The social worker enters with you into a formal agreement to render our services. The agreement is verbal (not written). By giving your consent, you become our client.
After that you work together on a roadmap towards your goal: what your responsibilities are and what your social worker is going to do. Every time you meet, you evaluate the results and decide on the next steps.
As a client of our social counselling service please follow these rules:
- Always contact your social worker directly; CIC ensures that every client stays with the same specialist.
- Do not miss consultations. If you cannot attend, please let us know in advance by phone or via email.
- Take actions that you and your social worker have agreed on being your area of responsibility.
- Notify your social worker about important changes in your circumstances.
- If the situation requires urgent action and your social worker is not available, you can come to the Centre during the walk-in counseling hours without making an appointment.
You have the right not to provide personal data and to remain anonymous.
Sometimes, in order to work with your case a social worker needs to know your personal data (name, email address, phone number or other). He/she will only have the information you provide.
CIC comply with the Act on Personal Data Protection and GDPR. Notes taken during consultations and your personal data is kept in a private database for three years. You can see your records; they are available on request. You can ask for your personal data to be deleted at any time.
Not satisfied with our social service?
You have the right to complain about CIC services. For more information, see the Information on making complaints and suggestions form.