Early childhood interven1on: Empirical study about supported families’ Introduc)on sa1sfac1on Esperança Jales Ribeiro; Sara Alexandre Felizardo & Sandra A. Gonçalves Polytechnic Ins5tute of Viseu I School of Educa5on, Centre for the Study of Educa5on, Technologies and Health’ (CSETH), Portugal Introduc1on The purpose the study is assess the degree of sa)sfac)on of families about services provided by a local early childhood interven)on team, concerning eight dimensions, listed in a scale adapted to the Portuguese popula)on, in order to improve services. Which is the level of sa)sfac)on of mothers of children with disabili)es (and risk of developmental delay), concerning the support provided by a local early childhood interven)on team? Which interven)on areas show a less sa)sfac)on and how to improve services? Methodology Methods
This is a quan)ta)ve study following a compara)ve-­‐
rela)onal plan. Instruments: i) sociodemographic ques)onnaire; and a ii) Sa)sfac)on Scale for Families in Early Interven)on (2002) adapted to Portuguese context, by the representa)ves in the country of the “European Parental Sa)sfac)on Scale About Early Interven)on” (1999). The sample included one hundred and ten mothers supported in a north area of Portugal. Results Overall, supported mothers reveal sa)sfac)on with services provided. The areas iden)fied with major levels of sa)sfac)on are: Ø  Parents support (targeted support for careers of the child, including the interac5on that takes place between them and the professionals). Ø  Support model (support that professionals offer parents in obtaining community resources, informa5on about financial benefits and the resolu5on of administra5ve problems). The areas that require a major aTen)on in order to do adapta)ons to family needs are: Ø  Parental right (informa)on given to families about their rights); Ø  Social environment (aAen5on given to the whole social environment around the child, family rela5ons of friendship and neighbourhood); Ø  Access to community service ((how the service is organized and its dissemina5on in the community); Ø  Rela5on between parents and professionals (interac5on between parents and professionals in rela5on to the level of the interven5on process). Conclusion Acoording to these results it is important to ensure ac)ve par)cipa)on of families in suppor)ng and also empower them to such interest, through con)nuous informa)on regarding child development and support itself. Is necessary to reflect about dimensions that had lower levels of sa)sfac)on, in order to make the work more effec)ve, with a higher quality standard and encouraging a greater involvement of families in the processes that affect them. References Almeida, I., Breia, G. & Colôa, J. (2004). Conceitos e Prá5cas em Intervenção Precoce. Lisboa: ME/ DGIDC. Alves, M. (2009). Intervenção Precoce e Educação especial. Pra5cas de intervenção centrada na família. Viseu: Psicosoma. Cruz, A., Fontes, F. & Carvalho, M. (2003). Avaliação da sa5sfação das famílias apoiadas pelo PIIP: Resultados da aplicação da escala ESFIP. Lisboa: SNRIPD. Gronita, J., Pimentel, J. Matos, C., Bernardo, A., & Marques,
J. (2008). Boas Práticas na Intervenção Precoce. Os nossos
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