Introduction
A European Network on Supported Education (ENSEd) will be created. As a start, each consortium partner will identify and subsequently involve another “Supported Education partner” in its own country and one in another EU country (outside the countries involved in the project itself), during the lifetime of the project. This will extend ENSEd from the starting four partners to about 12, in at least eight countries.
A second direct ‘recruitment’ channel for ENSEd is the SocNet ’98 network – a European network of Schools/faculties of Social Work of which HG is a (leading) partner. If eight partners join, the number of members will be twenty at the end of the project period.
The aim of ENSEd is to raise awareness in the EU countries for the educational needs of students/young adults with psychiatric disabilities and for services that are in place to help to remove the barriers for this target group. The toolkit will be promoted within this network, and other agencies and institutes may use it. After this first stage, ENSED will of course be open to new members from other countries. A communication plan to make this happen will be drawn up, as well as legal documents like statutes etc.
The aim is that membership will be, more or less evenly, divided between institutions of Higher Education and other agencies and organizations.
Conference on Supported Education
The first European Conference on Supported Education will take place in November 2015, in Groningen. This will be organized by the ENSEd-partners, but participants will come from other (European) countries as well. During the conference, the toolkit will be presented to an audience actually involved in Supported Education (direct valorisation).
Website
The webite www.supportededucation.eu consists of a newsletter, the toolkit freely available, a chat room for teachers, mental health workers, rehabilitation specialists and the learners, a drop box for ideas and links to related institutions and initiatives. The website will include pages in other languages than English (specific country information).
Also, an e-mail list of interested persons will be created, to send them newsletters.
Other conferences, articles etc.
Furthermore, the project outcomes will be presented during other national and international conferences of associations of teachers, mental health workers, rehabilitation specialists, etc. Also, they will be presented in articles in relevant journals – including scientific and professional periodicals. Interviews with (local) radio and other media are foreseen as well.
Language versions
In order to make the toolkit accessible and ‘usable’ in as many countries and situations, it will be ‘translated’ and adjusted in more languages. During the project in the languages of the countries involved in the project itself. After that, in other languages by or via members of ENSEd.
Keeping up to date
ENSEd will play an important role to keep the toolkit up to date. Experiences will be shared and reported/commented upon in special sessions dedicated to the toolkit each conference. Also, professionals working with the toolkit will comment via the website/chat room.
Also, new ideas or methods may be developed within ENSEd at a later stage, not necessarily initiated by the partners involved in this project. In fact, such ‘own dynamics’ of the network is hoped for.
Training after project period
The results will also be disseminated/exploited by offering training (after the project period) in working with the toolkit to relevant professionals like student counsellors, mental health workers and (regional) policy makers. First by the partners in the countries directly involved in the project; when ENSEd expands to other ENSEd members and countries as well. The training will be given at normal fees for such training.