home page | Health Systems for Early Child Development

3 October, 2023 | 90 minutes (CET TIME)

Supporting health and development of young children and parenting affected by emergencies

Webinar date and time: 3 October, 2023 at 10.00-11.30 (CEST)
To register, click here.

Emergencies such as war and displacement have devastating effects on young children’s physical, psychological and socio-emotional development with the potential for lifelong negative effects. These situations may impact children in multiple ways. In emergencies, children’s environments and routines are destroyed. Children may be deprived of responsive caregiving because their parents or caregivers are not present physically, or do not have the psychological capacity to meet their developmental needs.

War and the refugee experience result in elevated levels of stress for families, which undermines parents ability to engage in quality nurturing care interactions with children. Stress can also directly affect child development, increasing the risk of developmental difficulties and mental health issues. Alongside this, emergencies and displacement often result in children and families losing access to often lose access to important services: health, education, social protection, safety nets essential for development and wellbeing.

This webinar will discuss the effects of war and displacement on young children from Ukraine and the challenges related to provision of holistic support for health and development by primary health systems and practitioners in Ukraine and Czechia. The webinar will also explore how home visiting can be used as a tool to address these challenges, highlighting the context and experience of home visiting programs which are supporting children and parents in these countries.

In Ukraine, UNICEF in cooperation with state agencies and other relevant stakeholders, have provided additional training to home visitors to ensure health care and support for families in the frontline conflict areas. Learn more here. In Czechia the health care system is integrating new programs to support the health and development of refugee families and children from Ukraine.

This webinar is organized by UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) under the auspices of the Health Systems for Early Childhood Development initiative.

To register for the webinar, click here.

Thematic Area

Home Visiting For Early Child Development

4 July, 2023 | 90 minutes (CET TIME)

Parenting support for the mental health and wellbeing of children and parents

You can watch the webinar recordings here.

Read related blogs by Professor Frank Oberklaid: Mental health in early childhood; Supporting parental mental health ensures optimal development of children.

Parenting support for the mental health and wellbeing of children and parents | webinar
Supporting the mental health of parents is crucial for the optimal development of their children. Parents play a critical role in shaping their children's cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. When parents experience mental health problems, it can impact their ability to provide the nurturing and supportive environment that children need to thrive. Providing adequate support and treatment for parents can help reduce the negative impact of mental health issues on the entire family, leading to better outcomes for children's development and well-being.

On July 4th, join us for a webinar exploring ways in which we can support parental mental health and parenting skills to ensure optimal parent-child interactions that promote children's development. Additionally, the webinar will discuss strategies for promoting mental health in early childhood, as well as presenting UNICEF's vision for enhancing parenting. This includes the pyramid of parenting support and the three elements of support for parenting.

This webinar is organized by UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) under the auspices of the Health Systems for Early Childhood Development initiative.

This event will be hosted in English with simultaneous interpretation in Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian and Russian.

Download the webinar concept note in: English; Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian; Russian.

Thematic Area

FORTHCOMING vidimg

23 May, 2023 | 90 minutes (CET TIME)

Strengthening health care practitioners’ competencies to support nurturing care and early childhood development

Strengthening health care practitioners’ competencies to support nurturing care and early childhood development (ECD) is a strategic action to put the Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) roadmap into action. The health system has an extensive reach among caregivers and young children since health professionals have continuous contact with parents before and after birth. Thus, they are very well-positioned to play a central role in promoting nurturing care and child development. In addition to good health and adequate nutrition–topics frequently tackled in health professionals’ training– nurturing care also encompasses responsive caregiving, protection from threats, and opportunities for early learning.

This webinar presents concrete examples of pre- and in-service training designed for health care practitioners aimed at strengthening their capacity to support caregivers to provide nurturing care and promote ECD as part of their routine practice. Opportunities and barriers for professional development focusing on ECD and nurturing care, and the most common entry points to integrate ECD-related content are explored. ECD services include parent counselling on child development, monitoring of developmental milestones, guidance on age-appropriate play and communication activities (e.g., book-shared reading), identification of developmental difficulties and referral, among others.

A qualified workforce of doctors, nurses, midwives, and health agents, with acquired competencies, skills, and up-to-date knowledge on ECD and how to support nurturing interactions, is essential for achieving the child development outcomes envisioned by the NCF, and for improving the quality of services.

This webinar is organized by UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) under the auspices of the Health Systems for Early Childhood Development initiative.

This event will be hosted in English with simultaneous interpretation in Russian and Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian.

Recordings of the webinar can be accessed here.

The presentation slides can be found here.

Thematic Area

6 April, 2023 | 90 minutes (CET TIME)

Strengthening nurturing care through health and nutrition services: What can managers and practitioners do?

Join us for the regional launch of the Nurturing Care Practice Guide developed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. This Practice Guide is the latest in a series of resources to support implementation of the Nurturing Care Framework.

This webinar includes an overview of the Nurturing Care Practice Guide as well as reflections on how the Practice Guide can be used by managers and practitioners to strengthen caregiver well-being and caregivers’ capacities to provide their children nurturing care.

This webinar is organized by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the International Step by Step Association under the auspices of the Health Systems for Early Childhood Development initiative

What is the Nurturing Care Practice Guide? This Guide addresses the important question we’ve all been asking ourselves. We know responsive caregiving, opportunities for early learning, safety and security, and caregiver well-being all need more attention in health and nutrition services. But how can we help managers and service providers to do this? The Guide responds to this question. Intended to be used as a complement to existing training packages, it provides the rationale for giving greater attention to these four components; describes what managers can do to prepare services and better equip service providers; and includes practical suggestions for what service providers can do as part of their ongoing contacts with families. The Guide is available as a complete document, by section, or by service type.

Description in Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian

Description in Bulgarian

Description in Russian

You can watch the webinar recordings here.

The presentation slides can be found at this link.
Additional resources of interest can be found here.

Thematic Area

20 March, 2023 | 90 minutes (CET TIME)

Children with developmental difficulties are identified too late – What can be done about it?

Developmental difficulties in early childhood are significant contributors to morbidity and disability later in life. Systems for monitoring child development prevention and early identification of risk factors, and early interventions are weak, fragmented, and poorly organized in countries. Primary health care is the most inclusive, effective and efficient approach to promoting the physical and mental health of everyone in a community – including of children during early childhood. However, primary health care providers often lack the knowledge and resources to provide care that is evidence-based and in the best interests of the child. Not only does this impede the achievement of the full potential of children, but also constitutes a waste of resources for the health system, as well as society at large.

As a direct result of a member states’ request at a Regional Consultation on Child Health and Quality of Care, a new WHO Pocket Book of Primary Care for Children and Adolescents in the European Region was developed and launched on 21 March 2022. The Pocket Book provides guidance for conducting regular visits throughout the child’s development for a responsive, safe, and secure environment that ensures good health, adequate nutrition, and opportunities for early learning. It also provides up-to-date guidance for the management of common and severe conditions which primary health care providers encounter when caring for children and adolescents.

It is intended for use by doctors, nurses and health professionals who are responsible for the health promotion, and prevention and management of children and adolescents at the primary health care level in the WHO European Region.

Russian and Ukrainian language version will be published shortly. Translation to Armenian, Italian, Greek, and Tajik as well as the development of a mobile application are underway. Translations to additional languages are being planned.

This webinar will present the Pocket Book, its content, with a special focus on its use to promote early child development and bring professionals from several countries to share their experience at the country level.

Watch the webinar recording here.

Thematic Area

2 March, 2023 | 75 minutes (CET TIME)

Integrating support for ECD and nurturing care in primary health care: Experience from Italy

On 2 March, a Health Systems for Early Child Development webinar will present the guiding principles and examples of practical approaches to integrating nurturing care in Italy’s primary health care services.

Webinar speakers will dive into the experience of the national programme promoting shared reading from an early age as a way to enhance parent-child relationships. They will share specifically about the “Village to grow together” project, which aims to provide quality support for early childhood development in disadvantaged communities.

This webinar is organised in partnership with the Centro per la Salute del Bambino an NGO that has played a leading role in introducing ECD policy and practices in Italy.

Watch the webinar recording here.
View the webinar slides here.

Thematic Area

Facility Based Health Care For Early Child Development

6 December, 2022 | 75 minutes (CET TIME)

Health systems for Early Child Development Launch

Health care systems are well-trusted and far-reaching. Their access to young children and their families in the most critical years for optimal brain development provides a unique opportunity to support caregivers for nurturing care, which includes care for the child's health, safety and security, responsive Interactions, learning and stimulation, and identification of and support for children at risk of developmental difficulties to develop to their full potential.

In 2021 UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, WHO Europe, and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) joined efforts through the Health Systems for Early Child Development initiative. With the support of experts and professionals, the initiative aims to strengthen focus and support for holistic child development in routine health care for all children.

On 6 December 2022, the initiative will officially launch its website, offering a one-stop-shop for curated contemporary, evidence-based guidance, resources, and expertise on developmentally oriented health systems in Europe and Central Asia.

This event was hosted in English with interpretation in Albanian, Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian and Russian.

Download the full program of the launch.

Download the keynote presentation from Prof. Dr. Ilgi Ertem.

Watch this webinar.

Thematic Area

14 October, 2022 | 11 – 12:30 (CET TIME)

Harnessing the power of home visiting

In 2021 UNICEF ECARO, WHO Regional Office for Europe, and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) joined efforts to launch Health Systems for Early Child Development initiative, to accelerate efforts in Europe and Central Asia to build more “developmentally oriented” and family-centered health systems and services empowering caregivers to provide children with nurturing care – a safe and enabling environment that ensures good health and nutrition, protects them from threats, offers opportunities for early learning and encourages responsive and emotionally supportive interactions with parents and caregivers. The Initiative will curate and share contemporary, evidence-based guidance, resources, and examples of recommended practices; create and nurture a learning community, and advocate for the change of policies and practices.  

This webinar is the first in series of knowledge sharing events under the initiative and is   focused on home visiting for young children and families and how it is employed across the region. If you are Government official, policy and program planner, UNICEF and WHO country specialist, expert in home visiting, trainer or educator join us for this webinar to:  

Learn about new evidence, policies, guidance showcasing the importance and potential of home visiting for early childhood development 
Hear from policy makers from two countries in the region and learn about their motivation to make changes in the health system to endorse and scale up high-quality home visiting programs and approaches.   
Hear testimonies from frontline workers, experts and parents about the benefits of home visiting. 
Get inspired by newly developed practices illustrating the potential of home visiting to enhance support for parents to provide nurturing care. 
Learn about the Health Systems for Early Child Development initiative, the soon to launch website, the initiative’s events and how you can benefit by getting engaged with this budding community.

Watch this webinar.

Thematic Area

Home Visiting For Early Child Development

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