ECVC “Elderly Care Vocational Certificate”

CY, EL, ES; HU; LT

01-10-2008

The ECVC project purpose is to fulfil the European Older People’s care needs by vocationally train skilled care workers with a common level of competencies and certified recognition by the partners who provide education, which could lead to an accepted EU level qualification. Briefly aims of the project are:

1. Promote e-learning via the “ECV software”;

2. Facilitate skill development through practical experience and vocational exposure;

3. Introduce certification of competencies acquired in non formal and informal elderly care,

4. Ensure community placement via the Civic Observatories;

5. Improve European political awareness of the ECV matters via the “ECV European Observatory. ”

The ECVC project main driver is to be a system for social mobilisation in elderly care by means of a single sustainable social system empowering existing formal and informal carers with adequate qualifications and attracting newcomers in the European elderly care. One external driver is that the “ECV Certificate” is a post secondary non-tertiary level qualification with adequate, sufficient and necessary skills to meet the expanding demand in elderly care due to the ageing of the population and the increasing individuals seeking professional care because of the scarce availability of the traditional child to parents assistance. Moreover the ECV purpose is to address the EU lack of a unified training and certification system for qualified carers in Care Homes and private households. The EU Acquis Communautaire process has already started to harmonise National Member States legislation and set the relevant employment standards for caregivers, thus creating an urgent need for initial training and re-training of existing personnel and the establishment of the appropriate care employment strategies and practices for a stable labour environment for this delegated vocation. A social driver was that European social partners’ essential recognition and validation of competencies, so that employees are aware of and encouraged to develop their competencies.

 Care Recipients
 Informal carers
 Paid assistants
 Formal carers

Not available

 Independent Living
 Information and learning for carers
 Personal Support and Social Integration for carer
 Care coordination

The project is made up of different services of Social Penetration:

1. The “ECVC Civic Observatory”: a social forum with members from the elderly care stakeholders of the local community (elderly homes, local authorities’ services, health care organisations, voluntary care institutions, social associations).
2. The “ECVC Civic Information Centre”: an institution accepted and trusted by the stakeholders of the community. It is established by the ECVC Civic Observatory, disseminates primary information and its role is to promote the ECVC learning system in the long term.
3. The "European Observatory for elderly care”: an association in Cyprus led by the ECVC project partners whose main objectives are to monitor the situation and alert national social, political and legal stakeholders of elderly care European matters.
4. The “ECV Social Relations Guide”: an electronic document on the standards and practices of Elderly care social and employment culture, the available services, and the vocational status in the participating countries.
5. The “ECVC Learning Centres”: Elderly Care Provider Organisations e.g. Elderly Homes, home-care services or similar institutions making learners practising e-learning and acquiring practical care experience and vocational exposure. Following “ECVC Learning Centres” are currently in operation in Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Hungary and Lithuania.

The ECVC is freely available upon registration to informal, formal carers and migrant care workers, who wish to improve their care-giving skills, either partially or as participants in the full training course. The ECVC e-learning Curriculum, consisting of the “ECV e-learning web Software” and the “Academic seminars” supplementing basic ECV knowledge to a higher level, empowers learners with theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the following subjects:

• ECV Vocational awareness
• Basic age-related pathology
• Environmental Care
• Basic body care, Hygiene, Nursing, Handling incontinence, First aid
• Physiotherapy
• Mobility and entertainment
• Tools and materials

The certification is scheduled in sessions convened by the ECVC Certification Committees in each country.

Personal computer (or tablets) and internet connection.

Public only

Public research funding: local, regional, national, European and international funds for research, development and implementation of innovative initiatives

The European Commission LLP Leonardo da Vinci TOI- Transfer of Innovation.

Other: please specify

Not applicable

Not available

The project sustainability depends on its main outcome which is a trading course offered in Spain, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus and Lithuania, so its sustainability could be increased by offering the service to other countries to pilot training within the organisation. Also several projects are on the way to transfer the products further to other regions and commercialise it gaining new users and finances. The service helps to optimise financial and human resources so to have positive sustainability chances by:

1. Empowering local communities with effective and qualified elderly carers qualified

2. The interests of the “ECV Observatory” secures a sustainable flow of on-the-job learners who wish to achieve a “cost/time effective” qualification at the “ECVC Learning Centres”.

3. The main community stakeholders’ work towards the final establishment of the “ECV European Observatory” to foster the political awareness on elderly care.

4. The “ECV European Observatory” spreading the elderly care skill building

concept across the boarders to fulfil the increasing need for policies, practices and social systems.

The ECVC is sustainable as it is based upon recognition of acquired competencies in non-formal and formal vocational training empowering existing employees with adequate qualifications and attracting newcomers e.g. migrant care workers, into older people’s care services sector throughout Europe.

The use of self-training electronic methods allow to achieve common education and care standards in countries with different care systems, to improve the quality of care and to gain new users.

 

€ 50,000 - 500,000

€ 50,000 - 500,000

Euro 125.500 for the set up.

Euro 126.250 for the implementation.

 Authorities
 Private Care Sector
 Health and Social Care Systems
 Third Sector
 Private Companies

Organisations involved in the initiative are:

1. Authorities (national, regional and local): ECVC Civic Information Centre, The "European Observatory for elderly care; The “ECVC Civic Information Centre, The "European Observatory for elderly care

• Health and Social Care Systems: elderly care stakeholders of the local community (elderly homes, local authorities’ services, health care organisations, voluntary care institutions, social associations)
• Private care sector: The “ECVC Learning Centres” are elderly care organisations e.g. elderly homes, home-care services or similar institutions:

2. Private Companies:

• Trisys Ltd (CY) – Project Promoter – Management, Training and Research Consultants
• Amalgama Information Management Ltd (CY) – Information Technology Consultants

3. Schools and public institutions:

• Polydynamo Dimotiko Kentro Strovolou (CY) - Municipal Centre for Social Welfare policies
• Cvt Svie Ltd (GR) – Vocational Training Centre School for Medical Vocations Assistants
• Piraeus Chamber Of Commerce And Industry (GR) –
• Fundación Docete Omnes (ES) – Vocational Training Centre,
• Confederation Espanola De Centros De Ensenanza - (ES) – Confederation of Vocational Training Centres,
• Pécsi Szociális és Egészségügyi Szakképző Iskola (HU) - School of Social Welfare and Healthcare of Pécs -
• Pécs Egyházmegyei Katolikus Caritas Alapítvány (HU) – Regional co-ordinator of CARITAS groups
• Vilniaus Universiteto Geronotologijos Centras (LT) – Vilnius University Gerontology Centre,
• Socializacijos ir Darbinio Mokymo Centras (LT) - Socialization and vocational training centre

Not applicable

 Informal Carers
 Health Professionals
 Social Care Professionals
 Privately-Hired Care Assistants (inc. Migrant Care Workers)
 Volunteers

Trained professional and skilled formal and professional carers efficiently and effectively respond to complex and increasing elderly care needs. By means of e-learning and trainings, they allow learners to acquire practical experiences and vocational exposure in elderly care. Some professionals within the Observatory for elderly care service monitor the European care situation and alert national legal, political and social stakeholders.

Voluntary care institutions and social associations run the service of social penetration: ECVC Civic Observatory, ECVC Civic Information Centre, European Observatory for elderly care, ECV Social Relations Guide, The “ECVC Learning Centres.

300 users.

Information and communication channels used to promote the service to reach target users are basically the internet, info-days and workshops.

The service has a positive impact on the quality of life of:

- Formal, Informal carer and paid assistants, as it provides an additional chance for improving their skills, enhances their employability on the market and gives them an opportunity for socialisation.

- Elderly people: the service improves their health and social relationships and quality of life.

Another benefit is the acceptability of the ICT by informal and formal carers (Triantafillou, 2012).

 

The service has a positive impact on:

- Private organisations that provide care, as it helps save costs and optimize resources and it is effective in training carers (Triantafillou, 2012).

Not available

Strengths:

1. Contents are printable making them accessible to people with no technology knowledge or access.
2. Contents are translated in six languages and piloted in five countries, providing a uniform programme of supervised training, certification and standardised quality of care.

Weaknesses:

1. The website in not user friendly. It is plenty of theoretical information but practical ones are not easy to find. A “contact us” link or an online form to ask for information should be introduced.
2. Migrant carers should be competent with the currently available languages (CZ, EL, ES, HU, LT, UK) on the website.

Opportunities

1. The program offers training to potential trainers and assures care quality. Its possible expansion to the Greek Municipalities would fill the lack of public and private trained care workers (mainly women) providing opportunities for registration, vocational training and certification to (migrant) care workers.
2. The available on line programme outcomes include, among other, the ECVC PROJECT GUIDE, the ECVC LEARNING NETWORK, videos and other guides. All these materials and contents are an additional opportunity for disseminating the knowledge and reaching other users.
3. To improve the European political awareness of the ECV matters via the “ECV European Observatory” thought a series of ECV projects will have a multiplier effect on the elderly regional, national and European care.

Threats

1. Responsibilities for funding costs of the training programmes could limit its planned expansion during the current financial crisis.

The ECVC concept, the methodology, the electronic engine of the ECV Software and the competence validation methodology, can be adapted to other languages thus transferring it to similar target European sectors, increasing the geographical coverage and addressing new target users. Further developments planned in the next future for increasing the initiative scalability and transferability regard an ‘umbrella’ observatory of relevant statutory and NGO organisations to supervise the pilot projects in each country and the programme planned extension in Municipality training programmes. The combination of the “Civic Observatory” and the “Civic Information Centre” at the local communities will focus on the methodology and the quality of the ECVC project on target groups, sectors, users, the vocational training systems and practices to fill the European professional elderly care “deficit” and “demand”.

In details the combination of the two services working can be described as follows:

1. Elderly Care Homes participating in the Civic Observatories of their community could become ECV Learning Centres or simply benefit by improving in-company training and working practices adopting the ECV e-learning software and certification.
2. Individuals’ skill development coinciding with the goals of the Civic Observatory and the Civic Information Centre by making citizens participate in the community elderly care activities.
3. ECVC Competencies Certification opening up a dialogue with the national vocational training system and accreditation authorities to establish the ECV Certificate as an alternative mean of competence recognition.
4. Initiating sound changes in the target regions by means of systems and methods to improve awareness on the local communities’ needs, thanks to the ECV Certification transparent qualification through lifelong learning.

Resources:

ECVC Project, available at www.ecvc.eu (last access: October 2013. In March 2014 it does not work)

Triantafillou J. (2012), ECVC case study, available at http://interlinks.euro.centre.org/model/example/ElderlyCareVocationalSkillBuildingAndCertification_ECVC

External Links and References:

• The EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme
• The ECV-Leonardo vocational training programme for older people’s care workers
• The ECVC “Elderly Care Vocational Certificate” project (see also the ADAM Project Portal)
• PIRAEUS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (GR)
  E-Mail: bic@pcci.gr; mpothou@pcci.gr
• CVT SBIE LTD (GR) – Vocational Training Centre School for Medical Vocations Assistants
  E-Mail: giord@sbie.edu.gr – Tel: +30210 3312992 – Fax +30210 3312994

TRISYS LTD (CY) – Project Promoter – Management, Training and Research Consultants,

E-mail: tringos@logos.cy.net –bic@pcci.gr; mpothou@pcci.gr; giord@sbie.edu.gr

Telephone: 00357 22377776 – Fax 00357 22376930