Empowering schools to serve as safety nets for children with behavior problems in Serbia

Children with special needs have been a focus of institutional reforms in Serbia for nearly two decades. Historically, as in other Eastern European countries, children with severe developmental, emotional, and/or behavior disorders in Serbia were often placed in institutions far from their families for much of their lives. Since the fall of communism, extensive government reforms in Serbia, guided by Western development agencies, have focused on deinstitutionalizing youth, but only with modest results. Underdeveloped special education programs within the Serbian public school system, have also contributed to children with special needs being at increased risk for leaving school and having legal problems. However, newly passed legislation is empowering Serbian schools and communities to serve as safety nets for vulnerable youth.

Research highlights
► This case study addresses the role of special education services in Eastern Europe.
► This article describes collaborations among psychologists and other professionals, on different continents, to make meaningful changes in children's education.
► This paper describes the relationship between children with special needs and legal problems in the Serbian educational system.