Following on from the National Conference for Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People (PDS), Mary Immaculate College (MIC) has recently published the conference report in partnership with the HSE and its funded agencies as an invaluable ongoing resource for all those involved in the field of child disability.
The conference, which was held in MIC last December, brought together more than 300 parents and staff to share learning and good practice in the provision of inclusion services for children and young people. It also provided a unique opportunity to all, including the 500 plus delegates who joined the conference via webinar, to explore innovative ideas and celebrate achievements to date.
The purpose of the conference was to:
• showcase innovative practice in children’s disability services in line with the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People Programme
• promote partnership and collaborative working with families and other services in supporting children with disabilities to achieve best possible outcomes, and
• celebrate achievements of services whilst recognising the on-going challenges in meeting demand for services.
This conference report records the 10 conference presentations, 11 breakout workshops including delegate feedback, poster abstracts from the event and some examples of current national and international research in this area. The report will be an ongoing resource to staff and parents and is an opportunity to share and reflect on innovative, good practices and collaborations, as well as the challenges facing children, parents and service providers.
Speaking at the launch of the report Dr Gary O’Brien, Associate Vice President Administration, MIC said: “We at MIC are proud of the many colleagues who have enabled us, as an institution, to contribute to this rich, rich tapestry… We have a long tradition in providing for the education and professional development of educators in early years settings and our primary schools, of community providers and more recently, of those preparing to enter the post-primary sector as teachers. More and more our learning and teaching is being informed by high quality research and I am really humbled by the contribution our own staff have made to the research arena.”
The full report and recording of the conference can be accessed here.
Read more about last year's conference here.
