‘KEDDY’ is the Differential Diagnosis and Support Centre of Heraklion Municipality, which is located at 1 Stavrinidis St in the city of Heraklion. It is a decentralised public service, which functions under the management of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs and is subject to the Regional Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education of Crete. It is established according to ministerial decision (Γ6/4494/ΦΕΚ1503/08–11–2001, Ν.3699/ ΦΕΚ199/2-10-2008 και Ν.4186/ΦΕΚ193/17-09-2013).
KEDDY has the following general responsibilities: Assessment of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, writing specialised reports, offering support to students through individual sessions based on Special Educational Programmes that are implemented in collaboration with the teachers involved, either in the premises of KEDDY or in the school settings.
Apart from providing evaluations, offering information and parental counselling, writing reports, and designing Individual Education Programmes, KEDDY takes the following actions in an effort to enhance partnerships and the level of mutual support:
- Cooperation with parents, offering support sessions to students with speech and language disabilities, motor problems, mixed developmental disorder and autism.
- Cooperation and Intervention in schools: early detection, mutual exchange of information, cooperation with the teachers and intervention in both mainstream and special schools of all levels. The aims of the interventions are:
- Cooperation with teachers: designing Individual Education Programmes (IEP), promoting collaboration, exchange information and raising awareness across the entire school about crisis management in the school, bullying and other issues.
- Cooperation with teachers of Parallel Support for the Implementation of the Programme of Specialized Education Support aiming at the integration of students with disabilities and / or special educational needs.
- Training sessions with teachers of integration and Parallel Support classes.
- Visiting students at home: further exploration of the family dynamics (relationships, roles, interactions) with a view to enhance the adaptation of the members into the family system and to change the family dynamics in a way that benefits the student. Offering training to the family regarding the problems identified during the student evaluation.
- Cooperation with the School Counsellors of Mainstream and Special Education: the cooperation with the School Counsellors of Mainstream and Special Education is an integral part of our work. The joint interventions at schools aimed at students with Special Educational Needs, provides a complete and multifaceted psycho-educational, psycho-emotional and social management of the difficulties.
- Cooperation with the Educational Managers of Primary and Secondary Education, with the Regional Director of Education and the Heads of Scientific and Pedagogical Guidance. We are in contact in a daily basis and we work collaboratively in the following sectors: the operation of KEDDY, designing and completing proposals for the improvement of the function of the school structures, the organisational process of the implementation of the Parallel Support programme, participation in committees about Special Education matters.
Collaborations with relevant bodies:
- Associations of Parents and Guardians (sensitisation and counselling)
- Social welfare organisation
- Minors’ Prosecutor
- The Youth Advisory Station of Secondary Education in Crete
- The ‘KESYP’ of Heraklion (Centre for Counselling and Orientation)
- The ‘KESAN’ of Heraklion (Centre for Addictions Prevention and the Promotion of Psychosocial Health of Heraklion Crete)
- The Health providers of Heraklion municipality
- The Welfare Services of Heraklion municipality
- The children accommodation structures such as the House of Juvenile in Heraklion. Cooperation with various associations and legal entities of private law
- Regular and continuous cooperation with the Centre for Rehabilitation of Children with Disabilities of Heraklion in Crete
- Continued cooperation with the group of educational research and evaluation of the Institute of Computational Mathematics (ITE), etc.
- Participation in seminars and workshops both as listeners and as speakers;
co-organisation of workshops and training courses for teachers and parents; talks at schools, raising awareness of teachers and parents, etc.
Our team
‘KEDDY’ employs several social workers, psychologists, special education teachers, speech therapists, one physiotherapist and one secretary. In addition, there is a child psychiatrist position, which is not always covered.
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday:
08.00-18.00