Workshop: Children’s Rights and Sustainable Practices

The workshop aims to bring together professionals and academics in the field of children’s rights in
the Nordic and Baltic and Eastern European Region, to discuss and identify areas for improving
practical knowledge and sustainable practices of children’s rights.

We invite professionals and scholars working in the field of children’s rights to share their expertise and knowledge, and discuss concrete challenges they face in their professional or academic work. The deadline for submitting abstracts and professional dilemmas (max 300 words) is 16 of November.

Please send your submissions to milena.banic@sh.se. More information about structure and themes can be found in the text below.

Participation without an abstract or dilemma: The workshop is open to everyone and free of charge, but please confirm your participation by sending an email to milena.banic@sh.se not later than 31st of November.

Final program will be announced in November.

A sustainable society requires investing in children and effectively implementing their rights. This requires not only a solid legal framework and well-developed system support but also experienced professionals who understand the complexities of applying the principles of children’s rights in various situations, as well as the complexities of the society that we currently live in. One of the key factors in implementing children’s rights is ensuring access to justice. This requires professionals, such as lawyers or social workers, who possess practical knowledge to apply legal norms and general principles of children’s rights in concrete cases, as well as to possess a range of competencies necessary for adapting to new realities and contributing to the building of a sustainable society.

Despite the clear recognition of the importance of children’s rights among Baltic Sea and Eastern European countries, research shows that there is a lack of knowledge among professionals such as lawyers, social workers or school employees, which affects fulfillment of these rights. However, children's rights lawyers’ practical knowledge is a new scientific area within the interdisciplinary field of Studies in Practical knowledge, which requires promotion among professionals and academia, as well as the gathering of experiences from practitioners working in.

The workshop serves as a starting point for establishing a platform for collegial collaboration on research into change processes in Swedish society, particularly in relation to welfare actors in the Baltic and Eastern Europe.

I Plenary sessions:

1. Children’s Rights and General Principles of the rights of the child

In this session, professionals and academics will present and discuss good practices and challenges in implementing the general principles of children’s rights, with a particular focus on the principles of the best interest of the child, children’s participation and children’s protection against discrimination.

1. Implementation of Children’s Rights and Lawyers Practical Knowledge

In this session, a baseline for understanding lawyers’ practical knowledge in the field of children’s rights will be presented, along with ongoing results from empirical research related to the knowledge, skills and attributes that lawyers need to implement children’s rights and contribute to creating a sustainable society. These findings are part of the postdoctoral project: Lawyer’s Practical Knowledge of Children’s Rights Principles towards Sustainable Society – Experiences of Sweden and Serbia.

1. Children’s Rights and Sustainable Practices In the third session, professionals and academics will discuss the knowledge, skills and attitudes that children’s rights lawyers need in order to contribute to building a sustainable society.

II Practical workshop:

During the practical workshop, participants will reflect on practical dilemmas in implementing children’s rights based on their own experiences. The practical workshop will follow the methodology of the Centre for Studies in Practical Knowledge.

Abstract and professional dilemmas

Please submit an abstract that includes either:

1. A description of an academic presentation related to one of the three workshop themes:

or

1. A short description of a professional dilemma you are facing in your professional life, related to one of these themes. Obs. Please ensure that the dilemma describes the situation as concretely as possible without using names or locations that could compromise the confidentiality or integrity of the individuals involved in the situation;

Length: ca. 300 words We are looking forward to meeting you at the workshop!

Milena Banic and Eva Schwarz, The Centre for Studies in Practical Knowledge, The School of Culture and Education, Associate Professor

For more information contact us via milena.banic@sh.se or eva.schwarz@sh.se