A European conference organized by
AIAS Bologna onlus, EASPD and their European partners
Thursday 15 September 2011
Hosted by: the Region of Emilia Romagna
Conference Room A Terza Torre, V.le della Fiera 8, Bologna Italy
Registration on: http://www.ausilioteca.org/con​ference_ecc
Genuine concern about the quality of life of those citizens who are most at risk of exclusion in our changing society means keeping their rights and welfare constantly in mind, especially if the changes involved affect needs and the availability of resources.
The social care sector has certainly not escaped unscathed from the changes of recent years.
Especially with regard to care activities:
- We are witnessing a growing demand for care because of our aging population;
- Increasing numbers of immigrant workers have changed the composition of the workforce;
- Reduced resources are challenging both quality standards and the nature and organisation of services.
In recent years a cultural transformation has been underway concerning perceptions of disability and old age. Following the approval of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we clearly have to redefine the concepts of citizenship and participation, and to evaluate the implications that such a rethink has for people working in the social care sector. Also, European policies are challenging us to consider new perspectives based on rights, participation and active citizenship in order to ensure that the elderly and disabled of all ages lead active lives, participate in their communities and decision making processes and truly become the protagonists of their own lives and choices concerning them.
The conference aims to investigate the impact of these new perspectives – which we consider essential to the delivery of quality in service provision - on the professional training and qualifications of all staff in the sector: personal care workers, social care service managers, technical staff, educators, social workers, nurses, facility managers ...
This conference, aimed at professionals and specialists working in public bodies, service provision and training in the care sector as well as at service users, celebrates the success of the "Creating a Common Foundation in Care" project which has spread the use of the European Care Certificate (ECC) across Europe including a trial in Italy. Based on a common standard of key skills agreed at European level for those working or intending to work in this field, and incorporating the new human rights based perspectives on care, the ECC provides a system for the evaluation of basic knowledge, with successful candidates receiving a certificate. The ECC provides an innovative, streamlined and original tool for assessing the suitability and basic skills of people working or intending to work in the field. At the same time it reveals training needs and testifies to the quality of service. But what is more, it is also a tool that spurs reflection and stimulates the re-evaluation of practices in the field in accordance with new parameters, more attuned to an inclusive society that is capable of ensuring a good quality of life for all its citizens.
PROGRAM - Morning sessions
Welcoming addresses from:
- A representative of the Regional Government of Emilia Romagna
- Gianluca Pizzi, Chairman of AIAS Bologna onlus
Key notes
Introduction and chair: Luk Zelderloo, Secretary General of the European Association of Service Providers for People with Disabilities
-Pietro Barbieri, President of FISH, the Italian Federation of Disability Organisations
-Marjan Sedmak, AGE Platform Europe President
-James Churchill, Association for Real Change UK & ECC Board
The training of care workers and the ECC in Europe
- Simonetta Puglioli & Elisabetta di Pardo, Regional Government of Emilia Romagna
- Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf, Andreas Hermann, Christoph Schindegger & Andreia Moraru: ECC referents for Italy, Germany, Austria and Romania
PROGRAM - Afternoon sessions
L’ECC – user experiences
Round table with the participation of service users, professionals in training and service delivery, public administrators and others
Parallel sessions
Session A. The development of the ECC in Italy
Session open to representatives of organisations interested in further discussing the development of ECC in Italy.
Session B. The development of the ECC in Europe
Session (in English) open to representatives of organisations interested in further discussion the development of ECC in Europe.
Session C Possibility to sit the ECC exam in Italian, English or Romanian (prior registration).
For further information contact Charlotte Boetticher at the EASPD office on charlotte.boetticher@easpd.eu