PS4Child

Contribution to the development of Public Policies in Early Childhood Intervention

Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services are essential in supporting children with developmental needs and their families. Despite the existence of a consolidated legislative framework, challenges remain regarding accessibility, equity, available resources, and the standardization of practices. This report aims to describe the activities that led to the development of the Policy Brief entitled “Realigning Public Policies for Greater Effectiveness in Early Childhood Intervention.” To achieve this aim, a project structured in four stages was designed: i) Development of two data collection instruments (electronic questionnaires) based on scientific evidence, one addressed to parents/caregivers (A) and the other address to professionals (B) working in Local Early Childhood Intervention Teams (ELI); ii) Validation of the content of the data collection instruments through a Delphi Panel (A) and a Focus Group (B); iii) Dissemination and data collection among the target population through email contact with all ELI services in the country, registered on the website of the National Early Childhood Intervention System (SNIPI); iv) Data analysis and drafting of the Policy Brief. This project received a favorable opinion from one Ethics Committee (CE/…/49/2025). Training in Policy Brief writing was also developed, and national and international benchmarking was conducted to gather recommendations on best practices. In the study targeting ELI professionals, 82 professionals from different fields of practice (health, education, and social services) and from various regions of the country participated. Participants identified several barriers and facilitators to the performance of their roles, as well as multiple priority suggestions for improvement to enhance equity, accessibility, and the quality of ECI services. Regarding the results obtained from caregivers and family members, despite frequent dissemination and requests for support through the teams, there was no adherence by caregivers to completing the electronic questionnaire. This finding highlights the relevance of developing qualitative studies using interviews in future initiatives. This study provides relevant contributions regarding the perspectives of early childhood intervention professionals, identifying critical areas for the improvement of public policies, resource allocation, and the standardization of professional practices within the scope of ECI.

Keywords:  Childhood, Early Intervention, Public Policies

Principal Investigator: Cristina Costeira (cristina.costeira@ulo.pt)- ciTechCare

Research Team:

Duration: 12 months (2025 – 2026)

National Partners and Others

  • Leiria City Council
  • Pombal City Council
  • Leirimar Training Center
  • Portuguese Society of Health Literacy
  • National System of Early Childhood Intervention

Reference: FCEXC/5701/2024

Funding: PlanAPP (Centro de Planeamento e de Avaliação de Políticas Públicas)