Over 2,400 online and phone enquiries handled by the early childhood care service

The city’s Child Development and Early Care Centres (CDIAP) are offering support online and by phone during the home-confinement period for Covid-19, helping with authorisation for children under six to go outside if needed and providing advice and guidelines for families.

19/04/2020 10:37 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

What are the CDIAPs?

The two Child Development and Early Care Centres (CDIAP) are managed by the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities (IMPD). They provide a free service, offering support for young children under the age of six whose development is impaired or at risk, whether that impairment is biological, psychological or social. The teams at the centres provide support for children, their families and those around them, adapting their response to each case.

How are the centres providing support during the home-confinement period?

CDIAP services continue to be provided online and by phone, with 2,431 enquiries handled and 722 interviews conducted since 14 March. Besides personal care from professionals from the centres to keep up support and guidance for families, a total of 52 reports have been issued to help provide authorisation for children needing to get outside, who must be accompanied by an adult family member at all times. Various resources have also been set up for emotional containment, and where vulnerability and risk situations are detected these are channelled through social services centres, who are in constant contact with the CDIAPs.

Advice for people with children under six:

The centres have issued a series of tips for managing the confinement period and the change in children’s routines, given the possibility that children may be more unsettled or unorganised:

  • Control the amount of sounds and materials around to help create calm, limiting screen time and the use of games with lights, particularly before bedtime.
  • Speak in a calm and measured tone.
  • Encourage contact with soft materials, such as cushions, mattresses and fabrics.
  • Run warm baths which help to relax muscle tone and the body in general, and give massages, caressing and pressing different parts of the body which help with relaxation.
  • Create comforting and contained spaces where children feel safe, using sheets, blankets and other household materials.

 

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