Upcoming Events

Children's Rights and Service Design

Friday 12th March 10

Venue: Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland
Organisers:Una Children's Rights Learning Group and the Improving Children's Lives Initiative at Queen's University Belfast

Organised by the Una Children's Rights Learning Group and supported by the Improving Children's Lives initiative at Queen's University Belfast, this seminar drew upon a range of expertise from within the Learning Group and from expert researchers and practitioners locally in Northern Ireland.

The program for the day is outlined below. To view the presentations as videos, please click on the links below.

Seminar Schedule

9:30 - 10:00. Welcome and Overview

Professor Beth Blue Swadener, Arizona State University, USA and Mrs. Mercy Musomi, Girl Child Network, Kenya, Co-Chairs, Learning Group, "Welcome"

Professor Paul Connolly, Co-Director, Una, Queens University Belfast

10:00 - 11:00. Opening Panel: "Children's -Rights Based Programme Development

Ms Julie Healy, Barnardo's, Professor Laura Lundy and Ms Lesley McEvoy (QUB), "The Example of Barnardo's 'Ready to Learn' initiative"

11:00 - 11:15. Tea Break

11:15 - 12:00. Panel: Children's Rights in Program Planning and Evaluation

Dr Kylie Smith, University of Melbourne, "Planning and evaluating children's Services in Local Government"

Ms Roisin McCooey, Playboard NI, "Playquest: Children's Participation in Developing Play Services"

12:00 - 13:00. Panel: Rights of Ethnic Minority Children

Mr Chris McAfee, Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities, "Minority Ethnic Young People and Their Experiences of Disadvantage, Discrimination and Racism in Education and Social Service Delivery in Northern Ireland"

Ms Collette Murray, Pavee Centre, Dublin, title to be confirmed

Discussant: Dr Janette Habashi, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, USA

13:00 - 14:00. Lunch (served on site)

14:00 - 14:45. Panel: Children's Rights in Research and Programme Planning in African Contexts:

Professor Nkidi Phatudi, University of Pretoria, South Africa, "Using a rights based approach in early childhood project in South African Townships"

Mrs Mercy Musomi, Executive Director, the Girl Child Network

Discussant: Dr Bekisizwe S. Ndimande, University of Illinois, USA

14:45 - 15:30. Being Accountable to Children in Planning and Evaluation

Dr Ciara Davey, National Children's Bureau, "The involvement of children as inspectors and evaluators on the Youth 4U-Young Inspectors Project"

Dr Natasha Blanchet, "Implications of an Accountability Model to Children in Canada"

15:30 - 16:00. Closing discussion: Issues and Challenges of Applying a Children's Rights Based Approach to the Development of Early Childhood Ethnic Diversity Programmes"

Facilitators: Professor Beth Blue Swadener and Mrs Mercy Musomi

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