HAMK participates in developing support for autistic parents and their families in Europe
While the number of parents with autism and their families is growing, professionals often lack the training or practical tools to support them. Current services often focus on the child, even though the whole family and the role of parents are key to the child’s well-being.
We develop new operating models and expertise to support autistic parents and their families, as well as the professionals who work with them. Our goal is to respond to the growing need to understand and support neurodiversity in family life.
Our development work is based on listening directly to autistic parents and the professionals who work with them. This ensures that our solutions are based on real experiences and meet practical needs.
The work is carried out as a Europe-wide collaboration involving educational and expert organizations from Finland, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Cyprus. Through this collaboration, we can combine our expertise and compare practices in different countries. This is to ensure, that the solutions we develop are applicable in different countries.
We bring strong pedagogical and research expertise to the project. In particular from the perspectives of vocational education, special education, and teacher training. We are responsible for the quality and ethical principles of the development work. In addition we participate in the design of training content and operating models. In addition, we will draw on our experience in national and international development projects and our close cooperation with actors in the fields of education, social welfare, and health care.
The development work focuses on:
- A training program for professionals that provides information, methods, and concrete tools for supporting parents of autistic children.
- A common operating model that helps professionals work in a family-oriented manner and with respect for neurodiversity.
- Digital and written materials that can be used in training and everyday work.
- Raising awareness of neurodiversity and family diversity more broadly in society.
BLUE HOUSES
BLUE HOUSES is a three-year international project co-funded by the European Union. In this project European actors develop practical ways to support autistic parents and neurodivergent families through education, guidance, and shared expertise.
BLUE HOUSES is being implemented as a European collaboration in Spain, Finland, Portugal, Poland, Belgium, and Cyprus. Development work, piloting, and awareness-raising activities are carried out in close cooperation in these countries. We want to ensure that the solutions developed can also be widely used outside the project partner countries.
More information:
