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Just under 5 million young children (around 1 in 5) are at risk of not meeting developmental milestones.
The Eastern Europe and Central Asia region is home to around 23 million young children under 5.
Early childhood intervention services are one of the most cost-effective strategies to attain a more equal start in life.
Early stimulation as part of everyday family routines benefits early child development.
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The new perspective on the role of health care in child development

Health systems have an untapped potential to optimize child development as they reach out to almost all children during their early years. Their role is to guard children's survival and lifelong health, but also to promote nurturing care - responsive caregiving with opportunities for early learning  in a safe environment, for optimal child development and well-being. Read more

 

In Europe and Centra Asia, health care services and health practitioners have multiple contacts with expectant parents, young children and their families. Every contact is a unique opportunity to support children to thrive and develop their full potential, and to support parents with knowledge and skills to give their children the best start in life.

 

The Health Systems for Early Child Development's website is a one-stop-shop for policy makers, service providers, and service planners to access contemporary, evidence-based guidance, and resources on policies, interventions and programmes that health care systems can incorporate and build on. It is also a platform for a learning community that enables discussions and exchanges of expertise on developmentally-oriented health systems. Read less

Thematic Areas

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Health systems for Early Child Development

Supporting ECD through health systems is consistent with the broad World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of health as a state of well-being. In the ECA region, primary health care services are almost universal with frequent encounters with families and children in their first years.
The main challenge is how to integrate support for holistic child development into provision of routine and regular health care services. Health care systems can do a lot to support caregivers through family centered services to strengthen family resources and skills to provide nurturing care to young children.

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Developmental monitoring

Developmental monitoring is to observe how a child grows and develops over time and whether the child meets the typic

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Home visiting

Home visiting during pregnancy and early childhood is a frequently used health promotion strategy for improving paren

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Supporting children with complex needs

Health care providers often meet children with complex needs such as chronic or complex medical conditions, disabilit

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Facility based health care

Facility-centred health care services in the ECA region provide unique opportunities for introducing ECD-related cont

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Webinars & Events
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28 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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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

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Latest Blogs

  • Boy-Doctor-Visit
    6 December, 2022
    A new platform to help transform traditional health care into holistic care for every child
  • health_system
    3 December, 2022
    Health Systems for Early Child Development
  • home_visiting
    3 December, 2022
    The powers of home visiting to support child development
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Partners
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UNICEF ECARO, WHO Regional Office for Europe and International Step by Step Association lead this initiative with the support of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) composed of international and regional experts, representatives of the main users of the platform, and target audience to help inform the initiative.

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This website was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the partner organisations and individual experts and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

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