Social Innovations in Early Childhood Intervention

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ABOUT THE ORGANISATION:
Theotokos Foundation
The Theotokos Foundation is a private, non-profit
organization serving children and young adults with
intellectual and other developmental disabilities,
as well as their families. The Foundation seeks to
provide these children and young adults with the
opportunity to learn how to communicate, to func-
tion adequately in their everyday life, to care for
themselves, and to be able to work so as to become
autonomous and active adults. Theotokos has also
developed a supported employment service called
“Ergaxia,” which creates opportunities for people
with mental disabilities to participate in the open
labour market.
The Theotokos Foundation was established in 1963
and at that time had a Pedagogical Department for
children aged 6 to 12 years. Over time, the manage-
ment of the Foundation realized that applications
and referrals of children younger than six years were
increasing. Therefore, the Early Intervention Pro-
gramme was created in 2000.
Theotokos Foundation
Greece
Ms. Vaia Arsenopoulou
Tel.+30 210 23 85 416/+30 6973 886 774
THE SITUATION OF CHILDREN IN GREECE:
Only 15 percent of children with
disabilities have access to education
• There are approximately 576,000 children
under the age of five in Greece.
• The number of children reporting that their
family’s economic situation is “not well off”
doubled from 7.2% in 2006 to 14.5 % in
2014.
• In 2000 the Special Education Law
established 54 Diagnostic, Assessment,
and Support Centres in the capital cities
of each prefecture in Greece, providing
diagnosis, assessment, and support to all
children. However, the reduced economic
capacity at both the state and the family
level prevents children from fully enjoying
their right to Inclusive Education and the
right to have access to quality health ser-
vices and social care support structures.
• According to the NGO ActionAid, only 15
percent of the estimated 200,000 chil-
dren living with a disability have access to
education.
ABOUT ZERO PROJECT ANAYLSIS
In-depth Research of Innovative Practices
EASPD Secretary General: Luk Zelderloo
Essl Foundation Programme Manager: Michael Fembek
Author: Wilfried Kainz
Project coordinator: Sabrina Ferraina
Graphic Design: Christoph Almasy
Graphic Facilitation: Petra Plicka
Editing: John Tessitore
This in-depth analysis can be downloaded for free at
and
For information or copies, contact:office@zeroproject.org
Essl Foundation, Aufeldgasse 17-23, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria
© Essl Foundation and EASPD, April 2016. All rights reserved.