Program statutory activities

of the Ukrainian Academy of Childhood Disability (UACD)


The reports provided annually by Ukraine to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child show that in our country the situation of respecting the rights of the child requires urgent resolution of certain issues, including the provision of educational, social and medical services to children with disability and their families. This was pointed out in the final recommendations of the UN Committee, which have been given to our country and which Ukraine should adhere to when reforming the relevant sectors. Moreover, given that over the past 5 years, the number of children with disability has increased by almost 8% to nearly 164,000 children today, over one million Ukrainian children have disabilities or distinctions of the psychological and physical development and need psychological, medical and pedagogical support.

For the purpose of solving of urgent problems of children with disability, in 2011, the Concept of social pediatrics (complex of medical and social rehabilitation of children with disability) has been developed, the purpose of which is: preventing the occurrence of disabling pathology in children; forming a single rehabilitation area around a child with a disability and his or her family through the combination and coordination of efforts of the public, rehabilitation institutions and establishments of different ownership and subordination; creation of a system of complex medical and social rehabilitation of children with disability in accordance with international standards, which provide for the submission of qualified medical care, creation of an adequate inclusive environment, appropriate social and professional trajectory of development of a child with disability, etc.

Ways and methods to implement the Concept:

1. Implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Ukraine;
   
   
2. Establishment of an Inter-agency Coordination Council for Integrated Rehabilitation of Children with disability (Central, Regional);
   
   
3. Approval of effective preventive measures at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine aimed at preventing the formation of disability in children;
   
   
4. Improvement of the human resources system in the field of rehabilitation and organization of social services for children with disability;
   
   
5. Development and improvement of scientific, methodological and informational support of the system of complex rehabilitation of children with disability;
   
   
6. Improvement of the medical component of complex rehabilitation of children with disability;
   
   
7. Implementation of measures to improve the psychological and pedagogical component of complex rehabilitation of children with disability;
   
   
8. Implementation of measures to improve the social component of complex rehabilitation of children with disability;
   
   
9. Improvement of the system of the involvement of the public in the development of management decisions in the field of rehabilitation services and control over their implementation.
   
   

Social pediatrics is a roadmap for the implementation of international standards of care for children with disability and their families. In order to implement the main provisions of the concept of social pediatrics in Ukraine in May 2019, the Ukrainian Academy of Childhood Disability (UACD) has been established.

The founders of UACD are:

• Kniazevych V.M. - Chairman of the Board of the community organisation "Ukrainian League for Palliative and Hospice Care Development", Chairman of the Honorable Council of Distinction for Professionalism and Charity "Order of Saint Panteleimon", Minister of Health (2007-2010);
  
  
• Malyshyn R.A. - Member of the Board of the Khmelnytsky Regional Fund for Social Security and Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, Chairman of the Board of the International Charitable Foundation "Nucleus";
  
  
• Martynyuk V.Yu. - Director of State Institution "Ukrainian Medical Center for Rehabilitation of Children with Organic Nervous System Defect of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine", Head of the Department of Pediatric Neurology and Medical and Social Rehabilitation of the National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education named on honor of P.L. Shupyk.
  
  

The main purpose of the Academy's activities is to facilitate the creation of conditions for the provision of complex medical and social care to children and adolescents with disabilities and to their families, primarily through continuous training of staff and parents, as well as providing and developing teaching materials on all aspects of childhood disability.



The main activity areas of the Academy are:

- providing regular training and exchange of information on all aspects of childhood disability through meetings, seminars, conferences, symposiums, working groups, professional exhibitions. Implementation of publishing activities;

- introduction in Ukraine of modern concepts of care, development, training and support of children with disability, in particular social pediatrics, early intervention, inclusive education, etc.

- support of complex (medical, educational, social) scientific and practical research on treatment, rehabilitation, development and care of children with disability;

- provision of medical, educational, social and rehabilitation services in accordance with the current legislation, development of efficacy endpoint of rehabilitation services for children with disability;

- promoting the elimination of social stigma and discrimination against children with disability and their families, as well as forming an active life position in them,

- facilitating the consolidation of the efforts of the state, the public, specialists in the medical, educational and social spheres, various institutions and establishments in order to create a single rehabilitation area (rehabilitation passport) around a child with disability and his family in regions;

- introduction a system for the formation of modern knowledge and skills on the basics of palliative care for children in Ukraine;

- participation in the development and implementation of state standards of content and technology of vocational training and activities of specialists of rehabilitation profile;

- assistance in reforming the system of expert assessment of the degree of limitation of life and disability in children in accordance with the biopsychosocial model of the disease and the scale assessment of disorders of function and structures of the organism according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health;

- creation of expert environment of specialists for development of recommendations on the progress of the state system of complex rehabilitation of persons with disability, including through the possibility of expert evaluation by the European Academy of Childhood Disability.

- attracting, in accordance with the existing legislation, the funds of legal entities and individuals, including foreign ones, in order to realize the purpose and directions of the Academy's activities;

- promoting of cooperation between those who working in the field of childhood disability in Ukraine and other countries, notably with the European Academy of Childhood Disability;

- support of high ethical and scientific standards in Ukraine in the implementation of all activities of the community organization "Ukrainian Academy of Childhood Disability".



The Ukrainian Academy of Childhood Disability intends to bring together specialists from various fields (pediatricians, neurologists, psychiatrists, orthopedists, physical therapists, ergotherapists, speech therapists (language therapists), psychologists, special educators, nurses, social workers, assistants of the child and other specialists) working with children with disability in order to implement the main directions of the Academy's activities.

In addition, in the context of professional and social changes, including views on childhood disability, to propose new guidelines for the provision of rehabilitation services, taking into account current technological developments to improve the socialization of children with disability and the unimpaired functioning of their families in society.