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 - 08:45	Registrations Location: Foyer, Tirana International Hotel
08:45 - 09:30	Welcoming Remarks Moderator: Vasilka Dimoska De Jong, EASPD Denada Seferi, Albania Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection Hubert Perr, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation in Albania Roberto De Bernardi, UNICEF Albania Emanuela Zaimi, Down Syndrome Albania Jim Crowe, EASPD Location: room Akernia
09:30 - 10:00	Keynote speeches: Moderator: Vasilka Dimoska De Jong, EASPD Professor Milica Pejović-Milovančević, University of Belgrade Emily Vargas-Barón, RISE Institute Location: room Akernia
10:00 - 11:30	1^st Panel: ECI principles in practice Moderator: Irene Bertana, EASPD Setting the scene: Irene Bertana, EASPD, Key principles of family-centred ECI, according to the EASPD position paper “Family-centred ECI: The best start in life” The principles in practice: Agapi Papadaki, Amimoni, Greece Yiannis Fratzeskakis, Greece (video message) Tatjana Petrović Sladetić, Mali Dom, Croatia Maria Kastanis, University of Illinois, US Eljona Boce Elmazi, World Vision Albania Location: room Akernia
11:30 - 12:00	Coffee Break Location: hotel lobby
12:00 - 13:30	2^nd Panel: Building and strengthening national ECI systems Moderator: Aleksandra Jovic, UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia Setting the scene: Camille Roux, COFACE Families Europe Aleksandra Jovic, UNICEF Flavia Shehu, Down Syndrome Albania Looking for solutions: Organisation and provision of ECI services across countries Marit Recourt-Vollebregt, The Netherlands Miguel Valles, Portugal Liana Mkhatvari, Georgia Jelena Jankovic, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Health, Serbia Location: room Akernia
13:30 - 14:30	Lunch Break Location: La Pergola Restaurant, second floor of Tirana International Hotel
14:30 - 16:00	Workshops on policies and practices 1. ECI Situation analysis and lessons learnt from UNICEF in North Macedonia and Montenegro Moderator: Vera Rangelova, UNICEF ECARO Aleksandra Karovska, Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Skopje Ida Ferdinandi, UNICEF Montenegro Location: room Akernia 2. The use of Person-Centred Technologies in ECI Moderator: Omor Ahmed, EASPD Dr. May Agius, Agenzija Sapport, Malta Rachel Blum, Beit Issie Shapiro, Israel Community Center for Health and Wellbeing, Israel Ivana Cekovic, UNICEF Montenegro Location: room Bogdani 3. Early identification of developmental difficulties in children Moderator: Aleksandra Jovic, UNICEF Revan Mustafayev, UNICEF, WHO Shkelzen Marku, Partnership for Development, UNICEF Mirella Giannakopoulou, Theotokos Foundation Ioanna Karavangeli, Theotokos Foundation Location: room Abret 4. Methodologies and findings on collecting good practices in family support Moderator: Lilith Alink, EASPD Wilfried Kainz, Zero Project Fabrizio Serra, Fondazione Paideia Location: room Blu 5. Routine-based Intervention and home visiting Moderator: Eric Bloemkolk, SOFT Tulip Anna Kukuruza, CF Early Intervention Institute Maria Kastanis, University of Illinois Location: room Onufri
16:00	End of Day 1
19:30	Conference Dinner Location: room Akernia

Friday 9th June 2023

09:30 - 11:00	Workshops on policies and practices 6. Storytelling of family support: the experience of the ECDUR project Moderator: Rachel Vaughan, EASPD Laurentiu Garofeanu, videomaker Representative of TENENET Representative of Keystone Moldova Representative of Social Teahouse Representative of Imago Foundation Location: room Abret 7. Roadmaps to national ECI system building and ECI Greece project and its policy journey, the lesson learned Moderator: Timothy Ghilain Irene Bertana, EASPD Vasilis Kalopisis, Local Coordinator ECI Greece project Dorina Giouroukou, European Commission (TBC) Dimitris Nikolsky, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Greece (TBC) Location: room Akernia 8. Training parents: The Denver Mode and “Now and Next” Moderator: Fabiana Scarano, EASPD Eglantina Shllaku, Help the Life Association Annick Janson & Melissa Janson, Plumtree Learning Location: room Metropol 9. Parental and ECI professional burnout, definition and strategies for preventing it Moderator: Agapi Papadaki, Amimoni Vicky Krokou, Amimoni Nikos Papastamatiou, Omegatech Location: room Blu 10. The transition to ECEC: tools for the inclusion of children with disabilities Liana Mkhatvari, Georgian Coalition for Early Childhood Development Aurela Zisi, National Agency for ensuring Quality of Education in Albania Maria Ioannou, Emphasys centre Veronica Hadjipanayi, Emphasys centre Location: room Bogdani
11:00 - 11:30	Coffee Break Location: hotel lobby
11:30 - 13:00	3^rd panel - ECI in the context of emergency and displacement Moderator: Vera Rangelova, UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia Setting the scene: Anna Kukuruza, CF Early Intervention Institute ECI in the emergency context Uliana Tokarieva (TBC), Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Looking for solutions: Adapting ECI in the context of emergency and displacement Liza Drannikova, EASPD Tetyana Mishchuk, Dzherelo, Ukraine Borislava Cherkezova, Karin Dom, Bulgaria Daniela Bordeianu, Voicinel Moldova Location: room Akernia
13:00 - 14:00	Lunch Break Location: La Pergola Restaurant, second floor of Tirana International Hotel
14:00 - 14:45	4^th panel - How to use existing policy and financial instruments to advance ECI in Europe Moderator: Thomas Bignal, EASPD ECI in the context of EU policies Katarina Ivanković Knežević, Director for Social Affairs and Inclusion, DG Employment, European Commission (video message) Katrin Langensiepen, Member of the European Parliament (video message) Dorina Giouroukou, DG Reform, European Commission Melita Čusek, Ministry of Labour and Pension System, Family and Social Policy of the Republic of Croatia Marija Lukec Presker, Ministry of Labour and Pension System, Family and Social Policy of the Republic of Croatia Q&A Location: room Akernia
14:45 - 15:30	Final reflections: The way forward Suela Lala, European Network for Independent Living Board Member Emily Vargas-Barón, RISE Institute Dorina Iouroukou, DG REFORM, European Commission Eric Bloemkolk, ECI Member Forum, EASPD Location: room Akernia
15:30 - 16:00	Concluding Remarks Ivelina Borisova, UNICEF Albania Emanuela Zaimi, Down Syndrome Albania Jim Crowe, EASPD Location: room Akernia
16:00	End of Day 2