On 04 May, the EULEX Correctional Unit team of experts concluded a three-day workshop for 25 Correctional Service Directors and Peer Support Councilors within the Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS).

The first two days of the workshop were dedicated to the drafting of a Standard Operating Procedure for Peer Support within the KCS, whereas the last day was dedicated solely to the review of the KCS five-year strategy, which will assist this institution in reaching its objectives and in offering better services to prisoners with a final aim to assist in their rehabilitation and reintegration into the society.

This is seen as a great development by the Acting General Director of the KCS, Ismail Dibrani: “This strategic plan which was drafted for our institution is one of the most important documents that will point us in the right direction in the future. We thank EULEX for their commitment to this important work.”

During the workshop on peer support, the participants also had the opportunity to practice through motivational interviews and role play scenarios. Zyrafete Imeraj, Replacing Director at the Dubrava Correctional Centre, found the workshop very useful and important for her work: “We often face different type of incidents during our daily work and our staff is at times exposed to traumatic events. Therefore, this type of training is very useful so that we learn how to manage certain sensitive situations.”

Putting knowledge into practice as Peer Support Councilors was also very well received by the participants. Naime Redenica-Bellaqa, social worker at the Pristina Detention Centre, affirmed this: “This is the first time that a training of this kind has been organized. It is very important for us to be able to provide peer support to our colleagues in correctional and detention centers who deal with sensitive incidents.”