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European Committee of National Advisers (CNA) and European Training Advisory Board in Paediatric Neurology (TAB) CNA What is the CNA? The Committee of National Advisers is constituted of advisers selected by the national paediatric neurology societies and associations of all European countries inside and outside the European Union (EU). Normally each country is represented by one member. The CNA has an executive group consisting of its chairperson, secretary and 3 elected members. Purpose: The CNA is a forum for mutual information, discussion and debate on matters relevant to paediatric neurology. The Committee serves as an advisory group to the European Society for Paediatric Neurology (EPNS) and as a link to the national paediatric neurology societies. Which countries? The CNA is intended to include representation from all countries that can be geographically accepted as European, irrespective of their relation to the EU. Countries adjacent to Europe are welcome to send representatives, although they will not have a vote on matters whose effects are restricted to Europe. Votes are rare needed in the CNA work, as discussion and debate are the important tools. In matters strictly pertaining to the EU, discussion and decisions may be limited to the representatives from the EU states. EPNS: The CNA is independent of the EPNS but is intended to work in close relation with it. While the CNA is constituted of advisers selected by the national societies, the EPNS is a society of individual members. The CNA is represented in the board of the EPNS and in its Education & Training committee by its chairperson and elected members. The EPNS is represented in the CNA by its president and other relevant persons as full members of the CNA. The European Academy of Paediatrics/UEMS Section for Paediatrics: In this European Union related organisation paediatric neurology is represented by the chairperson of the CNA together with the president of the EPNS. Finances: The CNA does not have its own economic base nor a treasurer. No membership fees are levied. The costs of national representation are covered by the national societies. The cost of representation of the CNA in the EPNS and its committees as well as in the European Academy of Paediatrics/UEMS Section for Paediatrics and EBN is covered by the EPNS according to decisions made in the EPNS board. Support funds: The member societies have agreed to contribute €100 per annum each to a fund run by the EPNS from which delegates from low-income (World Bank class 3 and 4) can apply for support to enable their participation in the CNA meetings. Applications need to be sent to the chairperson of the CNA at the latest 2 months before a forthcoming CNA meeting. The decision on support is made by the executive group of the CNA. Payment to the support fund from the national society is made by bank transfer to the EPNS Treasurer (w.f.m.arts@erasmusmc.nl). In future a direct link is planned for this web page. Members of the executive group: Chairperson: Lars Palm, Malmoe, Sweden Secretary: Rob Forsyth, Newcastle, United Kingdom Elected members: Rozalia Kalmanchey, Budapest, Hungaria. José-Carlos Ferreira, Lisboa, Portugal Sergiusz Jozwiak, Warsaw, Poland TAB Background In 2002 Child Neurology was accepted at the European level as a sub-speciality of Paediatrics and also of Neurology. In the process of defining the speciality, a European training programme, the syllabus of Child Neurology, was compiled and accepted by the European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS) and by the Committee of National Advisors in Child Neurology (CNA) as well as the UEMS sections for Paediatrics and Neurology. As a means to implement the syllabus in the training of Child Neurology specialists in the European countries, in 2004 the EPNS and the CNA agreed to set up a joint Training Advisory Board (TAB). The Training Advisory Board includes 4 delegates from the CNA, 4 from the EPNS Education and Training Committee, and the president and secretary of the EPNS. The European Academy of Childhood Disability is represented by one delegate. The Board is chaired by the chairperson of the CNA. Aim: The aim of the Training Advisory Board is to offer to national child neurology societies the opportunity to work together with them to evaluate their national training system. The ultimate aim is that the trainees of each European country will be expected to reach a standard of training that is in accordance with the European training programme as defined by the Syllabus. Method used: Assessment is initiated by the national paediatric neurology society. The TAB appoints one of its members to be the responsible communicator (RC), who makes contact with the national society through their liaison person. This communication is intended to gather as much information on the national training system as can be managed by electronic and other communication before a visit to the country is made. As the next step, a task force of 2-5 persons from the TAB visits the national society of the country for a few days. During this period interviews are held with leading representatives of the national society, representatives from hospital authorities and from national medical health and welfare authorities, as well as university representatives. Specialist medical staff, trainees and paramedical staff are interviewed. The facilities of some hospitals and possibly some other centres are visited. The interviews and visits aims to give information on several points that have a bearing on the specialist training:
The visit to the hospital/s is intended to be a complement to the impressions formed during the interviews regarding facilities, work conditions, level of care, medical quality and staff. At the end of the visit to the country the task force meets and sums up the knowledge gained and draws preliminary conclusions. These are discussed with the hosts. Report: A report is drafted by the task force and further developed within the TAB until it can be finally approved. The report concludes the impressions from the assessment and gives recommendations for the future development of the paediatric neurology speciality and training. The final, approved report is sent as an official document to the national society. The reports are published in the Newsletter of the European Journal of Paediatric Neurology and are available through this website. Follow-up: The procedure is followed after 1-2 year with a follow-up questionnaire to the national society to gather information on whether the assessment contributed to the future development and whether the conclusions drawn led to any changes or developments. Finances: At present no sponsorship is available from the TAB, the CNA or the EPNS, neither is any European Union support or other sponsor funding available. Thus the cost for the procedure including travel and lodging for the task force rests with the national society. Delegates of the TAB spring 2009: Lars Palm, Chairman Rozalia Kalmanchey, José-Carlos Ferreira, Sergiusz Józwiak, CNA delegates Oebele F. Brouwer, Paul Casaer, Florian Heinen, Richard Newton, EPNS Education and Training Committee delegates Colin Kennedy, President EPNS Ingeborg Krägeloh-Mann, Secretary EPNS
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