Ministry of Community Development implements the objectives of the “Emirates Early Intervention Programme”

DUBAI, 5th August 2024 (WAM) — The Ministry of Social Development has completed the implementation of the transformative Early Intervention Programme in the Emirates.

The project aims to provide early detection of children with developmental delays and children at risk by expanding services to Ajman and Dibba Al Fujairah regions. The processing and operation of two early intervention units is expected to be completed by the end of July 2024.

This initiative is part of the federal government’s implementation agreements for 2023-2024.

The project supports the activities of the Emirates Early Intervention Programme to accelerate the achievement of the goals of making the UAE society as prosperous as possible in the coming years and promoting the vision of “We are the UAE 2031”, which requires qualitative and redoubled efforts that will contribute to the achievement of the government’s aspirations and have a positive impact on the society and various sectors of the UAE.

This is also the realization of the vision President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyanand directives His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubaiwith the aim of developing the work of the government and increasing its achievements and results, keeping pace with the efforts made in the first decade to achieve the ten principles of the UAE in the new fifty, tracking global changes that require the use of the latest technological means to accelerate achievements, and setting priorities in designing transformational projects that have a direct impact on society in order to strengthen the UAE’s position in the world.

The Emirates Early Intervention Programme is primarily proactive and aims to create significant social impact in the various emirates and areas where its services have been expanded. Early detection of children with developmental delays helps parents to raise awareness of early developmental signs and increases their alertness to notice any unusual indicators. If left unaddressed, these could potentially lead to disabilities later on.

It contributes to the training of families and parents in the observation and monitoring of their children, reducing the developmental gap between the child’s chronological age and their developmental age, by transferring them to nearby early intervention units to quickly provide them with educational support and treatment to prevent their condition from worsening, which would also have a long-term impact and create opportunities for children to enroll in public education and continue their educational path with their peers after the early intervention stage, leading to their effective social inclusion.

The first phase of the transformational project (Emirates Early Intervention Programme) began in December 2023 with the review and use of international best practices in the field of early intervention, followed by conducting field studies among children in pre-schools and nurseries for the early detection of developmental delays. This coincided with the recruitment and appointment of specialized human resources in the same field, as well as the installation of equipment in two early intervention units in Dibba Al-Fujairah and Ajman, to also serve children in the emirates of Sharjah and Um Al-Cayman.

This program has had a significant impact on the progress of children by developing their developmental skills, preventing their condition from deteriorating to the stage of disability and opening up opportunities for their later enrollment in inclusive education as an individual plan has been developed for each child enrolled in Ajman and Dibba Al Fujairah units. The number of beneficiaries has reached (91) children since the beginning of 2024 till now.

Since its inception, the UAE Early Intervention Programme has provided services to three main categories of children under the age of 6 years, namely (those with disabilities, those with developmental delays and those at risk of developmental delays) and their families, through the Dubai Early Intervention Centre and early intervention units in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

The program provided services to (1,398) children and their families between 2015 and 2024, and the program team was able to conduct fieldwork on (7,102) child cases during the same period.