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Programme

Conference Language: The conference will be held in English language.

Real-time captioning during all plenary sessions and selected workshops will be provided. Other accessibility needs can be also accommodated, including Albanian Sign Language Interpretation, upon request and Albanian language for the local participant.

Conference Venue: Tirana International Hotel & Conference Center, Sheshi Skënderbej 8, Tirana 1001, Albania.

Thursday 8th June 2023

  08:00 - 08:45Registrations                                                                                                         

  08:45 - 09:30

Welcoming Remarks

Moderator: Maya Doneva, EASPD

  • Emanuela Zaimi, Down Syndrome Albania
  • Albanian government representative
  • Representative of UNICEF
  • Jim Crowe, EASPD
 
 09:30 - 10:00                               

Keynote speeches:

  • Professor Milica Pejović-Milovančević, University of Belgrade
  • Emily Vargas-Barón,  RISE Institute
 
  10:00 - 11:10

1st Panel: ECI principles in practice

Moderator: Maya Doneva, EASPD (TBC)

Setting the scene:

The principles in practice:

  • Agapi Papadaki, Amimoni, Greece
  • Miguel Valles, CECD Mir Sintra, Portugal (TBC)
  • Maria Kastanis, University of Illinois, US
  • Representative of World Vision Albania

10 min. Q&A

 11:10 - 11:40

Coffee Break

 11:40 - 13:15

2nd Panel: Building and strengthening national ECI systems

Moderator: UNICEF Regional Office for ECA

Setting the scene:

  • Camille Roux, COFACE Families Europe
  • UNICEF Regional Office for ECA and Flavia Shehu, DSA

Looking for solutions: Organisation and provision of ECI services across countries

  • Dr. Anneke Kesler – Koppe, Municipality of Amsterdam (TBC), The Netherlands,
  • Teresa Nunes Marques, Great Lisbon Commissioner of the Ministry of labour and social security (TBC)Portugal
  • Rusudan Bochorishvili (TBC), Georgia
  • Representative of the Government (TBC), Serbia
  • Eglantina Likaj, Help the Life Association  (TBC), Albania

 

10 min Q&A

 13:15 - 14:15

Lunch Break
  14:15 - 15:45

Workshops on policies and practices

  15:45      End of Day 1
  19:30Conference Dinner 

Friday 9th June 2023

  09:00 - 10:30           

3rd panel: ECI in the context of emergency and displacement

Moderator: UNICEF or EASPD

Setting the scene:

  • Anna Kukuruza
  • Representative of ECDUR project

Looking for solutions: Adapting ECI in the context of emergency and displacement

  • Dzherelo Centre, Ukraine
  • Uliana Tokarieva, Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Ukrainian government
  • Karin Dom, Bulgaria (TBC)
  • Moldova (or Czech Republic or Slovakia)

10 min Q&A

 10:30 - 11:00           

 Coffee Break

 11:00 - 13:00   

4th panel: How to use existing policy and financial instruments to advance ECI in Europe 

Moderator: Thomas Bignal, EASPD

Setting the scene: EU instruments in support of ECI

  • Representative of the EU Commission, DG Employment
  • Representative of the EU Commission, DG Reform
  • Representative of UNICEF

Reflections of the panel:  What is the way forward?

  • Katarina Ivankovic, EU Commission (TBC)
  • Representative of UNICEF 
  • Milan Brglez, Member of the European Parliament (TBC)
  • Catherine Naughton, European Disability Forum (TBC)
 
 13:00 - 14:00

Lunch Break

 14:00 - 15:30

Workshops on policies and practices

 15:30 - 16:00

Concluding Remarks

  • Maya Doneva, EASPD
  • Emanuela Zaimi, Down Syndrome Albania (TBC)
  • Representative of UNICEF
  • Jim Crowe, EASPD 
 
  16:00End of Day 2
List of workshops and trainings 
Workshops on policies 
  1. Tools for early detection: developmental monitoring through primary health care system and the case of ECI work with communities and nurseries
  2. ECI Situation analysis, lessons learnt from UNICEF and the case of North Macedonia
  3. ECDUR – documentaries / action plans (TBD)
  4. Roadmaps to national ECI system building and the lesson learned through the ECI Greece project policy journey
 

Workshops on practices

 
  1. Trauma-informed approaches
  2. The use of Person-Centred Technologies in ECI
  3. Routine-based Intervention & home visiting
  4. Parental and ECI staff burnout, definition and strategies for preventing it
  5. Training parents: the Denver model by Help the Life association and “Now & Next” by Plumtree Learning