Kyriakos Mitsotakis had the opportunity to talk with parents of children about their experiences, the challenges they face and ways to improve the services and assistance offered by the state
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilitiesvisited on Sunday the multipurpose center “Pareaki”, a Social Cooperative Enterprise that has established in Agios Dimitrios the Special Education Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities “Horizontes”, where people with mental disabilities or autism are employed.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis had the opportunity to talk to parents of children about their experiences, the challenges they face and ways to improve the services and assistance offered by the state.
“I noted a number of immediate priorities. And above all to break this communication and information gap between those who provide the services and those who bring the experience to the table”, pointed out the Prime Minister. “The mood is always there. I always say that since we have the fortune and the responsibility to be in a position where we can make a difference on many levels, let’s make sure we make the most of that opportunity. When we work together and generally when they talk to each other I think we can do better.” he added.
Special emphasis was given in the four most important topics that concern families: supporting parents after diagnosis, education, quality of daily life and ensuring that the child will have a good standard of living when their mother and father pass away.
During the meeting, the importance of early detection at an early age was emphasized and the establishment of a standardized, understandable counseling guide for parents was discussed, so that they are informed from the beginning about the educational paths they can follow and about the practical, psychological and financial support they are entitled to .
“What is the main thing? Let us as a state know this diagnosis, from the moment it comes into contact with the public system, at that moment the EOPYY will automatically know: “Autism, I am giving you the first basic information”. said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“It’s a very difficult situation. A great fight. But there is also joy in this struggle. At that moment a help, that all was not lost. The struggle changes a little, children want struggle anyway to grow up. But there is also joy and we know it”said one of the mothers who took part in the discussion, referring to the guidance and first aid families need.
Parents emphasized that better communication and collaboration between schools and therapists is needed that provide out-of-school help to children, while it was pointed out that over time more emphasis should be placed on teaching skills and habits that facilitate independent or semi-autonomous living. It was also emphasized that effective support for children requires a personalized approach.
“Each child is different and because the spectrum itself has many variations, at least as I understand it, it is also of great importance that not all cases are treated uniformly and for this reason we already have the necessary educational classifications”, said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Particular importance was attached in dealing with prejudices and school bullying against children with mental disabilities, through awareness-raising, information, co-educational actions that could also be implemented through the Skills Workshops.
“We now have the programs that we do in the Skills Workshops. We’ve put in a lot of new content, mostly in our primary. We generally do things against bullying. Bullying can have many, many aspects, one of which is in the case of mainstream schools where we have children with parallel support and how do you deal with someone who may not think the same way or behave the same way as the what do you think” said the Prime Minister.
At the same time, possible solutions to practical problems were examined, such as the creation of hostels for the temporary accommodation of children in case their parents need a few days of hospitalization, but also ways to strengthen training and professional rehabilitation, such as the establishment of municipal structures for supported living or day care and care. It was also emphasized that people with mental disabilities can be extremely effective in many professions, with the Prime Minister citing as an example “To Pareaki”, which also operates as a restaurant.
“This structure is a municipal Social Cooperative Enterprise of Vulnerable Groups, it has these characteristics and I think it is very nice. It is also a way of educating the whole society in the possibilities that children with these kinds of issues can have”, write down.
The parents thanked the Prime Minister for his interest and for initiatives with a tangible footprint, which are already being implemented, such as the Personal Assistant and Supported Work programs. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for his part, pointed out that the position of personal assistant “it’s a good job, very creative”while he noted the importance and good prospects of critical specialties such as occupational therapy and speech therapy.
The Minister of State Stavros Papastavrou and the parents Konstantinos Manetas, Marina Moschovou, Ilias Skotiniotis, Ourania Stavropoulou and Iulia Tsiotra took part in the debate.
Source: Skai
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