QADER and the Ministry of Social Development conclude a training workQADER, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development, concluded a specialized training workshop titled “Fundamentals of Diagnosing Intellectual Abilities in Children,” held over

QADER, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development, concluded a specialized training workshop titled “Fundamentals of Intellectual Capacity Assessment for Children.” The workshop was held over two days, April 27 and 28, 2025, at the City Inn Hotel in Al-Bireh.

The workshop was opened by Mr. Akram Al-Hafi, Assistant Undersecretary for Care and Community Development at the Ministry of Social Development. He welcomed the participants and praised the efforts of the technical team in developing quality standards for intellectual capacity assessment services for children. He also commended the role of QADER in supporting the Ministry’s efforts to enhance the quality of assessment services, affirming the Ministry’s commitment to leading and supporting such initiatives that improve services for children with disabilities.

George Mansour, Program Director at QADER, emphasized the important role of the technical team in developing assessment quality standards. He noted that this training workshop, organized based on the technical team’s recommendations, will help establish deeper knowledge and shared understanding among team members regarding the fundamentals of intellectual capacity assessment—strengthening the team’s role in the process of developing quality standards. He also commended the Ministry of Social Development for its leadership and support of these national efforts.

The training workshop targeted members of the technical team for assessment services, which was formed as part of national efforts led by the Ministry of Social Development in collaboration with QADER to develop quality standards for intellectual capacity assessment services for children.

It is worth noting that since 2021, QADER has implemented the first phase of the project in partnership with the Ministry of Health. This phase included the development of quality standards for diagnosing and assessing intellectual capacities in children and the implementation of a specialized training and supervision program for Ministry of Health personnel—including psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers from all mental health centers across the West Bank. The program focused on three training phases and included group and individual supervision on the use of diagnostic tools that were procured for the Ministry of Health.

The technical team for assessment services includes representatives from the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Education, UNRWA, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and several institutions and centers that provide assessment services for children with intellectual disabilities. A total of 23 representatives from these institutions participated in the training workshop, which was conducted by clinical psychologist Dr. Youad Ghnadari Hakim.

This workshop was held as part of the second phase of the project “Enhancing the Quality of Services and Protection Measures for Persons with Disabilities in Palestine,” implemented by QADER in partnership with Caritas Germany and with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).