MoSD Discusses Strengthening Cooperation on Early Childhood Services with Rawan Association for Child Development
Ramallah – Minister of Social Development and Minister of State for Relief Affairs, Dr. Samah Hamad, received today a delegation from the Rawan Association for Child Development to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in early childhood development, learning difficulties, speech and language disorders, and the development of referral pathways and therapeutic and rehabilitation interventions for children and families most in need.
The Association’s delegation included Dr. Salam Asia, Executive Director; Nabil Damra, Chairman of the Board; and Iman Al-Kafri, Board Member. Representing the Ministry were Akram Al-Hafi, Assistant Undersecretary for Family Care and Protection; Mohammad Al-Qarm, Director General of the General Directorate for Childhood; and Mohammad Saleem, Director General of the General Directorate for Associations.
Dr. Salam Asia presented the nature of the Association’s work and the services it provides in early childhood development, learning difficulties, speech and language disorders, and therapeutic and rehabilitation interventions. She emphasized the Association’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the Ministry of Social Development and expanding access to specialized services for children who need them.
She noted that the Association has provided services to more than 5,000 children over the past years, while approximately 50 children are currently receiving its services. She explained that the Association’s expertise focuses on early intervention and therapeutic and rehabilitation services related to learning difficulties, speech disorders, and other developmental needs among children.
Dr. Asia stressed the importance of integrating the roles of all entities working in the childhood sector, with each institution operating within its area of competence while ensuring that services provided to children and families are coordinated through a clear pathway that begins with early identification of needs and leads to the appropriate intervention or service.
For her part, Dr. Samah Hamad reviewed the services and programmes provided by the Ministry of Social Development in the areas of childhood, care, and protection, as well as the Ministry’s role in regulating and monitoring these services. She emphasized the importance of building partnerships with specialized organizations to enhance service quality and ensure access for children and families most in need.
Dr. Hamad explained that the Ministry is working to develop the regulatory frameworks governing the early childhood sector, including the new nursery regulation, alongside efforts to regulate and professionalize a number of related social professions in partnership with unions and relevant professional and specialized bodies, each within its respective mandate.
During the meeting, the Ministry also reviewed its service-purchasing programme as one of the mechanisms through which specialized services can be provided to cases requiring them when such services are not directly available within government services. The Ministry currently has approximately 45 service-purchasing agreements benefiting between 1,100 and 1,200 people from different groups, including children, persons with disabilities, and individuals requiring specialized care and rehabilitation services.
It was also noted that qualified institutions that meet the approved requirements and procedures may provide services through this mechanism, with referrals and follow-up conducted through the Ministry’s directorates according to individual needs and the nature of the required service.
The meeting discussed the possibility of benefiting from the Rawan Association’s expertise in providing therapeutic and rehabilitation services to children from poor and highly vulnerable families who are identified by the relevant specialists as requiring interventions related to learning difficulties, speech disorders, or other specialized services, and linking these cases with appropriate services through referral and service-purchasing pathways.
The two sides also discussed developing cooperation in early screening and assessment in nurseries, helping identify indicators that require specialized follow-up at an early age. They also discussed organizing awareness workshops for parents, educators, and nursery counsellors on indicators of learning and speech difficulties, the importance of early intervention, and the role of families and caregivers in follow-up.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides agreed on a number of practical steps, most notably preparing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on early screening and assessment in nurseries and the implementation of awareness programmes, alongside exploring cooperation under the service-purchasing programme in accordance with approved regulations and procedures.