Autism and family involvement in the right to education in the EU: policy mapping in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Introduction:In recent years, the universal right to education has been emphasised by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In this paper, we mapped policies relevant to special education needs and parental involvement of children with autism at an international level and in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Methods:A policy path analysis was performed using a scoping review as an underlying methodological framework. This allowed for a rapid gathering of available data from which a timeline of adopted policies was derived. Results and discussion:Internationally, the universal right to education has been reinforced repeatedly and the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been reiterated with every reinforcement. Also, the additional support that a child with special education needs requires is acknowledged and measures are taken to facilitate access to any education for all children. There are slight cross-country differences between the countries under study, attributable to differences in national regulation of education. However, all countries have progressed to a state where the right to education for all children is integrated on a policy level and measures are taken to enable children with special needs to participate in education. Recently, an attempt to implement a form of inclusive education was made as a form of special needs provision. Nevertheless, nowhere has this been implemented successfully yet. Conclusion:The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a critical juncture in international policy and created an environment where the universal right to education has been implemented for all children in the countries under study

Understanding the role of public health leadership competencies to improve women’s empowerment and mitigate GBV among women and girls: A scoping review protocol

This protocol for a scoping review aims to explore existing evidences on how public health leadership competencies contribute to women’s empowerment in mitigating gender based violence

SUPPORTING DECISION MAKING IN CROSS-BORDER REGIONS: A HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR HOSPITALS

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop an health technology assessment (HTA) decision tool to support the decision-making process on health technologies for hospital decision makers in cross-border regions.Methods: Several methods were used to collect information necessary to develop the cross-border mini-HTA decision tool. The literature was inventoried on HTA in border regions and local settings and the use of HTA by local decision makers. Semi-structured interviews with hospital decision makers in cross-border regions were also performed. Based on group discussion of the resulting information, it was decided to use the Danish mini-HTA guideline as a starting point for development of the decision tool. After finishing the first version of the decision tool it was tested in two pilot studiesResults: Some questions in the Danish mini-HTA guideline were not relevant. Other questions needed rephrasing and questions about cross-border situations were added. The pilots showed several missing topics, including legal questions and reimbursement issues. The final decision tool consists of three sections: a general section, a section for hospitals not cooperating cross-border and a section for hospitals that are cooperating with hospitals across a national or regional border.Conclusions: Based on our literature search, this may be the first cross-border mini-HTA decision tool. The decision tool will be of help for healthcare professionals and decision makers in border settings who would like to use HTA evidence to support their decision-making process.</jats:p

Autism and family involvement in the right to education in the EU: policy mapping in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany

Abstract Introduction In recent years, the universal right to education has been emphasised by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In this paper, we mapped policies relevant to special education needs and parental involvement of children with autism at an international level and in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Methods A policy path analysis was performed using a scoping review as an underlying methodological framework. This allowed for a rapid gathering of available data from which a timeline of adopted policies was derived. Results and discussion Internationally, the universal right to education has been reinforced repeatedly and the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been reiterated with every reinforcement. Also, the additional support that a child with special education needs requires is acknowledged and measures are taken to facilitate access to any education for all children. There are slight cross-country differences between the countries under study, attributable to differences in national regulation of education. However, all countries have progressed to a state where the right to education for all children is integrated on a policy level and measures are taken to enable children with special needs to participate in education. Recently, an attempt to implement a form of inclusive education was made as a form of special needs provision. Nevertheless, nowhere has this been implemented successfully yet. Conclusion The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a critical juncture in international policy and created an environment where the universal right to education has been implemented for all children in the countries under study. </jats:sec

MOESM1 of Autism and family involvement in the right to education in the EU: policy mapping in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany

Additional file 1. An overview of the demographics of the countries under study. Description: BA = Bavaria; NRW = North Rhein Westphalia; S = Saxony; LS = Lower Saxony; FL = Flanders; WA = Wallonia; GC = The German Speaking Community in Belgium. * Dutch population size was found using data from Eurostat [32], the size of the Länder was reported by the German Statistics Office [34], and the Belgian population size was reported by the Belgian Federal Government [33]. ** Autism prevalence rates in the Netherlands were reported by Roelfsema and colleagues [20], in Germany by Bachmann and colleagues [35], and in Belgium by Dereu and colleagues [36]

MOESM3 of Autism and family involvement in the right to education in the EU: policy mapping in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany

Additional file 3. An overview of the specific policies and impacts of the countries under study. Description: This overview provides a comprehensive version of the results section

MOESM2 of Autism and family involvement in the right to education in the EU: policy mapping in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany

Additional file 2. An overview of the countries under study with regards to demographics, autism prevalence, and SEN policy. Description: BA = Bavaria; NRW = North Rhein Westphalia; S = Saxony; LS = Lower Saxony; FL = Flanders; WA = Wallonia; GC = The German Speaking Community in Belgium. * Dutch population size was found using data from Eurostat [32], the size of the Länder was reported by the German Statistics Office [34], and the Belgian population size was reported by the Belgian Federal Government [33]. ** Autism prevalence rates in the Netherlands were reported by Roelfsema and colleagues [20], in Germany by Bachmann and colleagues [35], and in Belgium by Dereu and colleagues [36]