DC KORTEDALA
www.kortedala.goteborg.se
One of the most important goals for Kortedala is to cut waiting lists for pre-school places, which have grown since the introduction of the maximum charge. The new housing in Kviberg is likely to lead to a further increase in the number of children who need pre-school places. Utmarksskolan has been reorganized, and the average class size at the school is now 12 pupils, which eliminates the need for special support.
| KORTEDALA | ||
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| The first figure is for the district and the second for Göteborg in total during 2002, unless otherwise stated. | ||
| No. of inhabitants | 25,825 | (474,877) |
| Percentage of children 0–15 | 15.6 | (17.3) |
| Percentage of pensioners over 65 | 17.2 | (14.7) |
| Average income, KSEK (over 16) 2000 | 146.6 | (174.6) |
| Percentage of job applicants 18–64 | 5.3 | (4.1) |
| Percentage of people with higher education (20–64) 2001 | 26.0 | (38.9) |
| Percentage of gainfully employed (20–64) 2000 | 63.1 | (69.5) |
| Percentage on social security benefits | 12.0 | (9.5) |
| Social security benefits paid, SEK per inhabitant* | 3,007 | (2,128) |
| * Excl. introduction remuneration. | ||
A number of improvements have been made for residents of Kortedala during the year. A change in the organization of Utmarksskolan has meant that the average class size at the school is now 12 pupils.
The District Committee of Kortedala, the international school and the Supply of Premises Committee have begun working together to improve both physical and psychosocial aspects of the school environment.
Kortedala’s second newly built home for the elderly was also opened during the year. Kviberg home for the elderly has 72 places, and its opening meant that around 60 residents of Kortedala were able to return “home” to their own district from other homes in the city. Elderly people from the former Yugoslavia now have eight places in their own department, where staff with specialist language skills contribute to an increased sense of community and understanding among elderly residents.
New surveys in 2002 show that citizens are largely satisfied with the service they receive from the District Administration of Kortedala. The “satisfied customer rating” is higher than or equal to the average for Göteborg.
One of the tasks of the district committee is to extend democracy. One aspect of this work is that all committee meetings are now open to the public. Another element is that everyone who lives in the District Committee of Kortedala’s area can put forward suggestion for improvements in the district direct to the committee. Forty such citizens’ suggestions were considered in 2002.
The aim is that all services should permit a high degree of involvement and influence. Several user councils and cooperation groups have therefore been set up to discuss current issues.
Democracy is also an important aspect of work with the centre for young people at Kviberg, where young people are encouraged to implement their own ideas. An evaluation in 2002 gave a very high rating to efforts to extend democracy.
The library plays an important role as a communicator of knowledge, by providing access to modern information technology that improves residents’ opportunities to become involved in community development.
Prevention initiatives allow problems to be identified and tackled earlier, which has both human and financial benefits. We are constantly working in this area, partly by promoting cooperation between the various services. The children & young people and individual & family care services jointly identify children’s needs. The library collaborates with schools and pre-schools. The police force, schools and individual & family care services carry out joint initiatives in risk situations and when planning for holiday weekends and events.
The district’s pensioners’ associations organize meaningful activities and the district administration’s drop-in centres for the elderly help prevent ill health and delay the need for support such as home help.
The project for a Safe and Secure Kortedala is run in cooperation with property owners and tenants. Surveys that have been carried out show that citizens feel more secure in the district.
One of the committee’s goals is to provide safe and secure schools in which ethics, morals and equality between the sexes are regularly discussed and dealt with.
One of the most important goals for the district committee in 2003 is to eliminate waiting lists for pre-schools. Factors such as the maximum charge have led to increased demand. Because the proportion of children in the district will increase over the next few years, partly as a result of development of the Kviberg area, demand for pre-school places will increase even more.
One important task for the future is to ensure that schools and pre-schools meet every child’s needs. The child/adult ratio must be decreased, and the ambition is to achieve a class size of 12 in the rest of the district committee’s schools, as in Utmarksskolan.
The arts and music school is an enriching meeting place for pupils from schools in every district. It gives children the opportunity to express themselves creatively, and demand is growing steadily.
One very urgent goal is to integrate everyone in society and prevent discrimination. Staff with various cultural backgrounds are employed by the district administration so that residents can be treated with greater understanding in different situations.
The “Word Bridge” project that was set up in 2002 means that our libraries are now able to offer multilingual IT courses.
A new partnership between schools and homes for the elderly was launched in 2002. Pupils visit homes for the elderly and read to the residents, who in turn visit schools. The partnership has strong human values and promotes a sense of community across the generation gap.
Youth unemployment is still high and drug abuse is increasing. More knowledge and information must be passed on about alcohol and drugs, and pupil care resources in schools must be reinforced.
An association was recently set up by around 40 parents and other adults to carry out adult patrols and night patrols in cooperation with the police force, social services, schools, associations and other organizations. The adult patrols are intended to set an example and give support to young people to discourage drug abuse and violence, etc. Contact between the generations also makes it easier to pass on the standards that apply in society.
Health and living conditions are areas where the district of Kortedala achieves lower than average results in Göteborg. Improving public health requires cooperation between various bodies, and politicians, property owners, tenants and others in Kortedala are working together on issues of the environment and health.
The district administration is working to extend cooperation between home nursing care and the home help service so that elderly people can feel secure in continuing to live at home as long as possible. We also want to review forms of support for people with disabilities, including supported accommodation and day centre activities.
The district committee is also involved in other social planning measures. One example is the development of the Kviberg area, whose relationship with the district committee’s three geographical areas has a major influence on the development of the district.