Improved Integration of Disabled Persons into Society

The Closure Event for the “Improved Integration of Disabled Persons into Society” Project, co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey, was held on 12th May 2015 in the Sheraton Ankara Hotel & Convention Center with the participation of the Undersecretary of Ministry of Family and Social Policy Ms. Nesrin Çelik, Minister Counsellor and Head of Cooperation of EU Delegation to Turkey Ms. Simona Gatti and the Vice President of Central Finance and Contracts Unit Ms. Emine Döğer. Representatives of CSOs which are working on disability, disabled persons and their families as well as academicians participated in the closure event. Participants listened to the speech of Hamit Özbek (12-years-old), who is a wheelchair basketball team player, and watched 3 short films related to the 23 Grants. Moreover, they had a chance to see the paintings made by persons with hearing disabilities. The Compendium book on the grant was distributed and materials related to the grant projects were displayed and distributed in the booths at the venue. At one of these booths, M-CARE Project activities were promoted during the event and the participants, including families of people with disabilities, CSO representatives and academicians were informed about M-CARE. Project leaflets were also distributed to the participants.

ELOSH (European Core Learning Outcomes for Integration of Support and Housing) conference

We intend to attend the ELOSH final conference “Housing and Support: successful ways to help people with complex housing needs” which is taking place on Tuesday, September 15th, 2015 from 8:30 – 16:00.

Venue: VLEVA, Avenue de Cortenbergh 71, 1000, Brussels

Delivering E-Learning Accreditation to Reduce Occupational Stress in Employment

M-CARE will attend the DELAROSE (Delivering E-Learning Accreditation to Reduce Occupational Stress in Employment) Final Conference, entitled “E-DIMENSION OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT IN DISABILITY SERVICES SECTOR“, which will take place on September 21, 2015 in Brussels.

Speakers that will discuss various ways in which workers in the social care sector can use new technologies to gain important professional skills and qualifications in Europe. For instance, the DELAROSE project partners will present their online training allowing workers from different countries to earn academic credits while learning how to manage work-related stress! A representative from the European Commission will explain how skills and qualifications earned in one European country maybe recognized throughout the EU. Do not miss a chance to learn more about these and many other opportunities for professional development.

Venue: Thon Hotel Brussels City Center Avenue du Boulevard 17, 1210 Brussels, Belgium, Conference Room Bergen

Stakeholders Views On Training Personal Care Givers A Transnational Study

Our project team participated in the International Healthcare Management Conference (IHMC), organized by Gümüşhane University (Turkey) and King’s Collage (USA) on June 15-17, 2015. Our paper “Stakeholders Views On Training Personal Care Givers A Transnational Study” was selected as the best paper among the papers presented at IHMC.

Final M-CARE conference

On 1 December 2015, the final M-CARE conference will be organised in Brussels, Belgium at VLEVA premises.

The event “Caring for people with disabilities and older people: challenges, opportunities and (mobile/online) training solutions” will focus on the importance of good quality personal caregiving (PCG) for people with disabilities and older people. Focus will be on caring in a broader perspective, and how M-CARE’s (mobile/online) training solutions contribute to successful PCGs.

Target groups:

• (Potential) personal assistants/personal caregivers
• Nurses
• Social workers
• People with disabilities
• Parents/friends/colleagues
• Representative organisations of people with disabilities
• Policy makers

Agenda / invitation:

Where?:

Vlaams-Europees verbindingsagentschap vzw (please download the itinerary)
Kortenberglaan 71
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Practicalities:

English is the used language.
Premises are wheelchair accessible.

​Registration:

Attendance is free but registration is obligatory, and is possible via below form. Any other costs incurred in participating to this event (hotel, travel, subsistence, etc.) must be paid for by the attendee.

M-CARE presented to VET Expert Group and DG Employment

EVBB is member of the VET Expert Group initiated by the European Commission in Brussels in particular, DG Employment. On 28 May EVBB presented M-Care to the representatives of the DG. It being the expert group on VET it was of special interest to the the participants to hear about our attempt to train low skilled people as PCGs in that particular field of personal care in our partner’s countries.

Andreas Koth, member of the EVBB’s M-Care Project team and General Secretary of EVBB attended a meeting of the working group of the “European Alliance for Apprenticeship” at the DG EMPL on 23 April 2015 in Brussels. This working group consists of representatives from mainly VET providers from all over Europe including universities and representatives from big international companies.

He presented the M-Care project to this working group and its members, introduced M-Care project partners, explained its main objectives and how it could contribute to more qualified PCG’s in Europe. The connection was made between the current needs of the labour market and the response made by the project to meet some of the needs especially at the service sector in general and the field of Care for the ederly and handicapped in particular. The effort made by the project to improve the quality of services by improving the theoretical and practical skills of a proposed PCG were appreciated by the European Commission and the participants of the working group. Mr. Koth was asked to keep the group updated about the project in the following meetings.

M-CARE at SGSCC’s final conference event

During the Interdisciplinary Symposium “Social Competences, Creativity and Wellbeing” on June 3-5 2015 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, M-CARE will be addressed by Karel Van Isacker during his keynote “Social Skills At The Centre Of Inclusion”.

M-CARE @ ITAG 2015

M-CARE will be at the forthcoming ITAG 2015 Conference and present “Gamified mobile/online learning for personal care givers for people with disabilities and older people”, a paper written by Constantinos Mourlas, Stavroula Papavasiliou, Katerina Sotirakou and Karel Van Isacker.

The ITAG (Interactive Technologies and Games Conference) 2015 Conference takes place on 22-23 October 2015 in Nottingham, UK

M-CARE promotion as part of the Project: ‘Improved Integration of Persons with Disabilities into Society’ (Ref. No. TR 2009/013501)

The overall objective of grant scheme is ensuring equal access to goods, services and all aspects of life, to people with disabilities and the Purpose of the project is to strengthen capacity of CSOs working in the field of disability and institutional capacity of EYHGM (General Directorate of Services For Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly).

Within the scope of the poject, trainings are held for CSO representatives and personnel of relavant public institutions. One of these trainings were held in 9-10 April 2015 in Ankara with the participation of representatives from CSO’s and relavant public institutions. Approx. 80 trainees participated in the training. M-Care was promoted during the meeting / participants were informed about the project activities.

M-CARE was promoted within the scope of the Project ‘Supporting Implementation and Monitoring of CRPD in Turkey’

The Project was initiated by the focal point of Turkey, General Directorate of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly, in cooperation with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in line with Article 33 (National Implementation and Monitoring) of the Convention. It aims promoting the implementation and improving the monitoring capacity of CRPD in Turkey. Activities of the project include; raising awareness of relevant public institutions with regard to their obligations imposed by CRPD, developing indicator sets to be utilized in monitoring process and enhancing the data sets and data collection methodology.

Within the scope of the project activities on data collection and development of indicator sets, a meeting was held on “Participation of Persons with Disabilities to Political and Social Life” on 10 April 2015 in Ankara – Limak Ambassadore Hotel with the participation of representatives from political parties, Ministry of Internal Affairs, CSO’s and experts from relavant public institutions. M-CARE and its activities were explained to the participants. Leaflets were distributed to the participants as well.