On February 15, 2017 at the Kharkiv Regional Specialized Baby Home # 1 the first three-days training session “Child development” began.

Trainers Andriy Penkov, member of Kharkiv expert group in medical reform, President of the Ukrainian-German Medical Association, pediatrician of the highest category, MD, and Olena Riga, professor of the Pediatrics and Neonatology department at the Kharkiv National Medical University, MD, will lead these trainings for employees of Kharkiv Regional Specialized Baby Home #1.

On the first day of training session Andriy Penkov together with the participants considered the basic theories of child development. The trainer explained how genetic factors interact with environmental factors and affect the behavior and health of the child. Participants acquainted with the influence of environmental factors on health throughout life. Andriy Penkov emphasized the correlation between baby's ability to attach and brain development.

Olena Riga told the baby home’s employees about characteristics of premature babies and specifics of their observation. Participants learned how separation with mother affects the newborn baby’s brain plasticity, the further development of the brain, and behavior of the child. Together with the trainer, participants found out basic tasks of the catamnesis observation of a child. Also they discussed how child’s development is monitored in different European countries.

The training session is conducted under the Project “Creating a new model of family-and-community oriented services for children with special needs” supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).