ECI Greece: Technical Support to implement reforms to support the development of family centred early childhood intervention services in Greece
Background
For an inclusive society, we need to develop quality, community-based, family-centred early childhood intervention (ECI) services.Early years are the most formative in children's lives as they set the foundations for their lifelong development. Often, children with disabilities are least likely to have access to proper individualised support.
Research has shown that the sooner you start the process of deinstitutionalisation, and inclusion of persons with disabilities in the community, the greater success you have for the lowest investment.
The ECI Greece project supported the Greek government in developing a modern, evidence-based reform for early childhood intervention services as a crucial step towards deinstitutionalisation and the effective inclusion of children with disabilities in society and their families through quality and adapted care and support.
Family-centred ECI services focus on the individual needs of children and adapt to the needs, the resources and the environment of the families and carers. They provide holistic support to children with disabilities, engage and empower family, foster child’s development and family’s wellbeing and social participation. By giving the tools to families to support their children, these ECI services manage to:
Improve the outcomes of children, who can have ongoing meaningful support throughout the day and week, adapted to the family everyday life routines, as opposed to only when the therapist is present
Improve the mental health, wellbeing, and confidence of families and carers, who learn to trust more in their children’s abilities and feel they can support them better
Lower the costs of families of supporting children with disabilities, as the support is adapted to the already existing resources and environment of the family
Improve the transition of children with disabilities in mainstream schools, putting them on the path of lifelong inclusion
Empower the medical and social workers community to provide more targeted and effective support and guidance to prospective and new parents of children with disabilities.
Activities
This project was designed from the experience of the ECI Agora project which had similar objectives and outcomes for Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Based on the lessons learnt, the ECI Greece project:
- developed a training on family centred ECI for 7 selected Greek service providers,
- piloted these new methodologies for a year,
- developed a comprehensive country report on early childhood intervention in Greece
- as the groundwork for a shared understanding of what ECI is, developed awareness-raising activities and materials targeted, among others, at public authorities, assessment services, medical staff, and families
- Developed, in consultation with national key stakeholders, an action plan to establish a sustainable and holistic legislative and financial framework that supports family centred ECI.
Funding
Grant agreement number: n.101048313. This project is funded by the European Union's Technical Support Instrument and implemented in co-operation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support.
Beneficiary
Greek Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family (former Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs).
Duration
September 2021 to January 2024.
This activity is funded by the European Union via the Structural Reform Support Programme and in co-operation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support.