The availability and the quality of early education and care (ECEC) in the European Union is a growing concern due to an increased understanding about the role played by early years in children’s development, and to the need to support parents work-life balance. However, childminding offer in Europe is still highly fragmented, and especially domiciliary childminding, which is often not or not enough regulated, neither in terms of labour conditions nor professionalisation despite its high demand. Indeed, there is a wide range of professional profiles covered by childminding, as the ESCO profile 5311 « Childcare worker » confirms it: babysitter, crèche and kindergarten professionals, family day care worker, nanny, out of school hours care worker, etc.). In addition, the training offer for those profiles is highly heterogeneous, especially as regards children with special needs, not addressed in separate and specifically developed modules, but integrated in general modules of care. This is the case for autism. Within this context, ChildIN aims to improve the well-being of autistic children and their families, as well as the professionalisation of childminders. This main goal required a complementary consortium, composed by 6 partners from 4 member states:• IPERIA, the French platform for the professionalisation of home employment, lead partner,• The Conseil départemental de la Nièvre, a regional public authority, France,• Cooperativa COMENIUS (VET provider), Portugal,• APPDA (Association for Developmental Disorders and Autism), Portugal,• TECHPAL (VET provider), Poland,• Autism Europe (international non-profit organisation representing autistic people), Belgium.In order to reach this double goal, 2 main objectives were defined:1. The development of a specific training programme in “blended format” (including both face-to-face and distance learning) for childminders taking care of children with autism,2. The elaboration of a policy brief to promote the professionalisation of childminding for autistic children. To do so, a competence framework and a learning architecture (intellectual output 1) for childminders taking care of children with autism was developed, with a 3 EQF level and a total length of 35 hours. The research carried out for this purpose made it possible to create a data base on autism (intellectual output 2), gathering more than 200 resources in 4 languages (English, French, Portuguese and Polish).On this double basis, a training programme and specific training materials were developed also in 4 languages (intellectual output 3): a training kit with learning contents for trainers and learning materials for trainees, including practical exercises, case studies, quiz and satisfaction questionnaires. Given the Covid-19 crisis, the training was practically delivered 100% on distance learning, as well as almost of the events planned for the launching and closure of the training. Despite these difficulties, a total of 53 childminders completed the training programme, from which 16 in France, 21 in Portugal and 16 in Poland (65% of the enrolled participants), with high satisfaction rate of 76%. In order to facilitate the replication and to ensure the sustainability of the training, practical guidelines (intellectual output 4) were developed, including concrete recommendations and suggestions.Lastly, a policy brief (intellectual output 5) for policy and decision makers was elaborated and presented during the final conference of the project, initially planned in Brussels, but organised online in April 2021 due to the pandemics. More than 150 participants attended it, among which different stakeholders, experts on autism and childminding, as well as representatives of the European Commission and members of the European Parliament.

<< Objectives >>Today people with ASD are very often excluded from the labor market. In many cases, the percentage of autistic people full time employed are the half as much as people with others disabilities. Unemployment often implies social exclusion and failure in self-fulfillment. The main aim of INFUSE is to reduce occupational gap for people with autism through the creation of an educational programme for job placement, enhancing their quality of life, consequently reducing the rehabilitation costs.<< Implementation >>The project will firstly analyze study cases and best practices of job placement pathways of people with ASD in EU (Activity 1). Based on this, a training course for adults with ASD will be defined to make them gain new field-specific skills in farming officinal herbs and transversal skills for job employment (Activity 2). Such training will be made concrete through a piloting (Activity 3). Finally, awareness raising and dissemination actions will be carried out (Activity 4).<< Results >>INFUSE will realize a compendium of best practices of other EU experiences (Result 1). This will be the basis for realizing the INFUSE Training course (Result 2) defining the best educational methodologies for supporting job placement of ASD adults. Piloting the training course will allow participants to acquire new skills for future employment, measured through an Assessment plan (Result 3). A dissemination strategy (Result 4) will be defined to ensure widespread sharing of project activities.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviour (APA, 2013). Autism is thought to be largely biological in origin, affecting information processing by altering how nerve cells in the brain and their synapses connect and organize (Levy et al., 2009). Parents typically notice signs of autism in the first two years of their child's life (Myers and Johnson, 2007). Autism is diagnosed in at least 1% of the population (Baird et al., 2006). It is estimated that 32-50% of individuals with autism also have intellectual disability/learning difficulties. Students with autism progress much better when specific educational supports are provided. Visual supports for both receptive communication (daily agendas, individual work-systems, tasks panels, tasks structures, etc.) and expressive communication (alternative communications systems based on picture-exchange to communicate what they need, and to share ideas with others) are examples of autism-specific supports that have evidence for their effectiveness (Mesibov and Howley, 2003).The IVRAP project is based on the combination of one of the most extended models of autism intervention on education (named Individual Work System) with the power of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) and Hand-Tracking sensors to manipulate virtual environments.The individual work system is defined as a visually organized space where children practice acquired skills (Schopler et al. 1995). A work system visually communicates at least four pieces of information to the student including (1) the tasks the student is supposed to do, (2) how much work there is to be completed, (3) how the student knows they are finished, and (4) what to do when they are finished (or ‘‘what’s next’’). The work system provides a structured opportunity for students to practise skills deliberately and independently. Individual work systems may also promote students’ generalization of skills across settings. At least three scientific studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of this method for promoting independent learning (Hume et al, 2007; Bennett et al, 2011 and Hume et al, 2012).In a previous nationally funded project (Spanish Ministry of Industry and Commerce, project TSI-100700-2015-11), a prototype of a Virtual Reality based Individual Work System has been developed and successfully tested by UVEG with KOYNOS SCHOOL. IVRAP project will further develop this technology and make it available to be used for free by any student with autism and intellectual disability (IVR Tool, Intellectual Product O1). IVRAP will also conduct a research (O2) with a larger sample of students in order to scientifically validate the IVR Individual Work System and produce a MOOC (O3) on Virtual Reality and Autism. Policy recommendations will be produced as the result of O4. One training action (C1) will teach professionals about the use of O1 and three multiplier events will be celebrated: E1 in Valencia (Spain), E2 in Konya (Turkey) and E3 in Bristol (UK) in order to disseminate the four intellectual products to all the relevant stakeholders.Immersive Virtual Reality has the potential of transferring and generalizing knowledge very rapidly, not only from the point of view of students with autism, but also from the point of view of teacher training. It can particularly help those geographical areas were access to qualified autism intervention training is very limited. With a Virtual Reality environment, many elements of an autism intervention can be easily incorporated into the daily practice of a teacher who now will also have a powerful tool to boost learning of students with autism and intellectual disability.Participating education departments from the local governments KONYA IL MEM and CEFIRE-Inclusiva will increase their repertoire of training resources to prepare teachers. The participating universities UVEG and UWE will strengthen its contact with the first-hand experience of attending students with autism and/or learning difficulties. This will increase their knowledge about these difficulties and will allow researchers to identify additional needs. The digital nature of all the project results will enormously facilitate dissemination of results both inside and outside organisations. Four schools will participate in IVRAP. Only one of them have already participated in Erasmus+: TREBOL, and another three are newcomers: SOBE, CAMBIAN and KOYNOS.IVRAP counts on a strategy of relying on existing agreements with non-profit organisations specializing in distributing and maintaining IT products for autism, such as the partner ADAPTA FOUNDATION. This, together with the participation of AUTISM EUROPE, will also foster the transferability of the tools and educational practices to others and the generalization of their use, as the life-cycle of the products will then be much longer than the project life-cycle.

<< Objectives >>All partners already support ASD individuals to develop their employment opportunities. However, this project aims atwidespread support across the EU that both increases the chances of ASD jobseekers to penetrate the labour market, andhelps implement effective and inclusive practices within both learning and working environments, increasing theemployment rate within the ASD community, improving mental well-being, promoting social inclusion whilst reducingeconomic costs for EU member states.<< Implementation >>This project will implement many activities, from online & face-to-face meetings to desktop / field research & focus groups toensure top quality standards are upheld. It will develop international research reports; an ASD employment guide;neurodiverse-friendly digital training modules & learning pathways; Youtube channel; digital learning platform & website;SEN specialist reviews; Europe-wide digital map & network; product testing; product publication; & Europe-widedissemination of findings.<< Results >>This project will have multiple outcomes: The Research Report will define the requirements & challenges of those with ASD;The Employment Guide offers solutions that meet the needs of all stakeholders; The Digital Training Platform will host selfaccessed, interactive digital training pathways; The Map & Network will connect all stakeholders & provide easy access tosupport. The combined result will increase employment, improve well-being, enhance inclusion & reduce economic costsacross the EU.

"The aim of the project titled “Developing competence of staff supporting persons with autism - job-shadowing in model European organisations” is to build the competence of the Fundacja Wspolnota Nadziei (Community of Hope Foundation) in three strategic areas listed in the Foundation’s European Development Plan:(1) Competencies (skills and qualifications) associated with the direct work with people with autism, and the motivation of employees.(2) Competencies associated with the management and system of work of the organisation.(3) Competencies associated with the dialogue with authorities, legislators, and the environment (including the parents of people with autism).On the basis of the questionnaire, conducted among Foundation employees, coupled with organizational analysis, within the above areas, specific training topics and needs have been identified.In order to meet the training needs, 38 mobilities of job-shadowing type were planned, to organisations considered “models of good practice” in European context: the Irish Society for Autism, Gautena, Open Group and Autism-Europe (it is assumed that at least 30 different people - employees and volunteers of the Foundation – will partake in mobilities). Embedded in the project, are the measures for the integration and transfer of skills (methods: observation logs, mentoring, a series of meetings in the cycle of “planning - integration - transfer of competence – dissemination”); also, monitoring and evaluation of the learning process and the transfer of competence; and a series of dissemination activities. As a part of the consolidation and dissemination of results, in the final phase the project envisages participation of the Foundation's staff (8 persons) in the Autism-Europe Congress, the most important professional forum in this field, bringing together all the different threads and themes of the project; followed by a local dissemination event (for the Foundation’s community and its environment, including other related organizations and institutional partners).We anticipate that the project will strengthen organizational capacity and competence of the Foundation, contributing to personal and professional development of participants (staff and volunteers), and to the improvement of the organization as such. This in turn will lead to improving the quality of support provided to adults with autism in the overall system developed by the Community of Hope Foundation, according to the organization’s mission.We expect that the implementation of the project and competencies acquired as a result will strengthen the position of the Foundation as a model organization (in Polish scale) providing support for people with autism and their families. We expect a multiplier effect - through the transfer of knowledge to other organizations in the region and in the country, operating in the field of autism, and treating the Foundation as a kind of ""benchmark"" and a model to follow. We anticipate that the project will contribute to better cooperation between the organizations acting (in different contexts) for the benefit of persons with autism and intellectual disabilities, resulting in the exchange of knowledge and experience, consolidation and transfer of good practice, and thus - in the long run - improving the quality of support provided to people with intellectual disabilities and ASD in Poland and, more broadly - in Europe."