Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) is an important area both at policy and professional levels. It relates to the right of very young children and their families to receive the support they might need. ECI aims to support and empower the child, the family and the services involved. It helps to build an inclusive and cohesive society that is aware of the rights of children and their families.

This publication presents the main findings from Phase 1 of the Agency's Assessment project. It is based on information describing assessment policy and practice provided by 23 countries.

Young Voices: Meeting Diversity in Education presents the results of the European Hearing of young people with special educational needs that the Agency and the Portuguese Ministry of Education organised in 2007.

Educational policy-makers prepared this document to provide fellow policy-makers across Europe with a synthesis of the policy findings that emerged from overall Agency thematic work up to 2003. It makes recommendations about key aspects of special needs education policy that seem to be effective in supporting the inclusion of learners with special educational needs within mainstream provision.

The European Parliament Hearing of young people with special educational needs took place in Brussels on 3 November 2003. The Agency organised it with the support of the ministries of education in its member countries and the European Commission. It was one of the major events within the framework of the European Year of People with Disabilities.

Twenty-three country delegations, with 146 representatives, participated in the event. The country delegations included 72 young people with special educational needs.

This study aims to re-assess the situation of special education in 18 Agency member countries, comparing findings with an earlier Agency report published in 1998.

This report mainly focuses on qualitative trends in inclusion across Europe. The study is oriented towards trends and developments in the provision for pupils with special needs in European countries. Although some quantitative data is presented (number of pupils with special needs, for example), the emphasis is on the qualitative side.

Inclusive assessment is an approach to assessment in mainstream settings where policy and practice are designed to promote the learning of all pupils as far as possible. The overall goal of inclusive assessment is that all assessment policies and procedures should support and enhance the successful participation and inclusion of all pupils.

This report provides a summary of relevant information collected by the Agency in co-operation with the Eurydice network. It covers three priority areas within the field of special needs education:

• Inclusive education and classroom practice in secondary education
• Access to and within higher education for learners with special educational needs
• Transition from school to employment.

This document considers a number of relevant issues relating to the three aspects of post-primary education examined:

Individual Transition Plans: Supporting the Move from School to Employment is a continuation of an earlier study on Transition from School to Employment for young people with special educational needs. 

This report, published in 2006, is the result of extensive collaborative work among experts on transition from 19 European countries, representatives from the employment sector, as well as young people with special educational needs and their families.