Early care in Russian Federation: staffing dynamics in 2019-2020

Authors:

Kogan Zlata Vsevolodovna, junior researcher of the Department of early assistance, Albrecht Federal Scientific Centre of Rehabilitation of the Disabled, 50 Bestuzhevskaya Street, 195067 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, e-mail: vinzlata@yandex.ru

Lorer Viktoria Valerevna, PhD in Psychological sciences, head of the Department of early assistance, Albrecht Federal Scientific Centre of Rehabilitation of the Disabled, 50 Bestuzhevskaya Street, 195067 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. Associate Professor of the Department of general and clinical psychology, Pavlov First St. Petersburg State Medical University, 6-8 L’va Tolstogo Street, 197022 St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, e-mail: lorer@list.ru

Annotation:

Introduction. Government Order No. 3711-r of 18 December 2021 approved the Concept for the Development of a System of Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Habilitation for Persons with Disabilities, including Children with Disabilities, in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025.
An important role in the comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation of children with disabilities, including children with disabilities, is played by early care — a complex of services provided to children from birth to 3 years of age who have life-limiting conditions, in order to prevent the formation or aggravation of childhood disability. However, to date, the issues of early assistance have not been regulated by law, and its place in the system of comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation has not been defined [1].
The training of qualified specialists who provide early care services to target children and their families, taking into account modern technology within an interdisciplinary team of specialists, as well as ensuring continuous professional development of specialists providing early care services play a significant role in the formation of a regional early care system [2]. The challenges of the early help system also include determining the optimal staffing and workload of professionals at different levels and agencies.

Aim. The aim of the study was to analyse the dynamics of the staffing of early care services in the Russian Federation in 2019-2020 and to make proposals for optimising the educational process in the field of early care. The total number of specialists was assessed, as well as the proportion of specialists who received professional development training in the field of early care.

Materials and methods. A total of 85 forms of federal statistical observation No. 1-RP Information on Early Care for Target Children in 2019 and 2020 were analyzed using the continuous observation method.

Results. According to the entities, as of 31 December 2020, the number of specialists providing early care services was 34253, an increase of 14 % (4881) compared to 2019 (in 2019 was 29372).
Pediatricians (66.9 %) dominate the number of specialists providing early care services in health care organizations. The following specialists are the least common in health care organizations: social worker (1.8 %), teacher-defectologist/defectologist (1.5 %), surdologist (0.6 %).
Educational institutions are represented by the following specialists: speech therapist (37 %), educational psychologist (28 %), head of subdivision (17 %), teacher-defectologist (11 %), social pedagogue (4 %), physical therapy instructor (2 %), pediatrician (1 %).
In the social care sector, the most common types of early childhood intervention specialists are psychologists (28 %), social pedagogues (19 %), heads of departments (16 %) and speech therapists (13 %).
The proportion of professionals trained in professional development programs was 23 % of the total number of professionals providing early care services — an increase of 5.7 % compared to the previous year (in 2019 was 17.5 %).

Conclusion. There is an increase of 5.7 % in the proportion of specialists trained in professional development programs in 2020 compared to 2019 in the total number of specialists providing early care services in the Russian Federation. The training of qualified early care specialists remains an urgent area for the comprehensive development of the early care system in the Russian Federation. As a result of the work carried out, a positive dynamics in the number of specialists in organizations providing early care services in the Russian Federation was identified.

List of cited literature:

1. Rasporjazhenie Pravitel’stva Rossijskoj Federacii ot 18.12.2021 № 3711-r «Ob utverzhdenii Koncepcii razvitija v Rossijskoj Federacii sistemy kompleksnoj reabilitacii i abilitacii invalidov, v tom chisle detej-invalidov, na period do 2025 goda» [Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 12/18/2021 No. 3711-r «On approval of the Concept of development
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3. Metodicheskie rekomendacii po organizacii uslug rannej pomoshhi detjam i ih sem’jam v ramkah formirovanija sistemy kompleksnoj reabilitacii i abilitacii invalidov i detej-invalidov. Podpisany Mintrudom Rossii 25.12.2018 g [Methodological recommendations on the organization of early care services for children and their families within the framework of the formation of a system of comprehensive rehabilitation and habilitation of disabled people and disabled children. Signed by the Ministry of Labor of Russia on 25.12.2018]. Available at: https://mintrud.gov.ru/docs/mintrud/handicapped/274. (accessed 07.12.2021). (In Russian).

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