United Kingdom

The mission of Hope and Homes for Children (HHC) is to be the catalyst for the global elimination of institutional care for children. Established in 1994 HHC has accumulated almost 25 years of international experience of reforming child protection systems through the process of de-institutionalization (DI). Ultimately HHC aims to achieve systemic and lasting change by supporting the design of robust child protection systems effective in preventing children’s separation from their families and providing quality alternative care.;www.hopeandhomes.org;United Kingdom

Jeffrey Coleman is an experienced social worker, trainer and lecturer in adoption and fostering practice, with varied management consultancy and legal expertise across many children’s social care topics.

Home-Start Worldwide plays a pivotal role in the development of the Home-Start service around the world. Through the work of the Trustees and through member to member support. Home-Start Worldwide aims to ensure quality standards and provide effective support to the network. Around the world. Home-Start professionals and volunteers train and prepare volunteers usually parents themselves to work alongside other parents. A Home-Start volunteer will visit the family usually once a week for a couple of hours and share the ups and downs of raising a family.

The International Foster Care Organisation (IFCO) is an international network dedicated solely to the promotion and support of family based foster care across the world. It is a volunteer and member based organisation providing a multi-cultural platform for young people foster carers, social workers, academics, researchers, volunteers, media policy makers and others to network and shares information on a global basis.

Catriona Williams OBE was the founding President of Eurochild from 2004 to 2010. Catriona has been a champion of children’s rights and social justice her entire career, being instrumental in securing Wales’ reputation internationally as a leader in incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into policy and domestic law. She has recently started her retirement from Children in Wales, having led the organisation since its creation in 1992.

Child to Child is an international child-rights agency which trains leading global agencies in a number of practical approaches that enable children to play a meaningful role in their own lives and to promote the health education and wellbeing of themselves and their communities. Child to Child is a pioneer of children’s participation.

Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) is the regional umbrella organisation for the children’s voluntary sector in Northern Ireland. It represents the interests of children and the voluntary sector that works on their behalf. CiNI also provides training policy and information services to member organisations, relating to their work with children and young people.

Children in Scotland is an influencing and membership organisation, comprised of representatives from the voluntary public and private sectors. Its vision is that Scotland becomes a world leader in securing the wellbeing of every child and improving the quality of every childhood. Children in Scotland focuses on communication and engagement, influencing of policy & legislation and learning and development delivered through an extensive events and training programme.

Children in Wales is the umbrella organisation for children’s organisations in Wales. It brings organisations and individuals together to make the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child a reality in Wales. It fights for sustainable quality services and fair shares for all children and young people, it ensures special attention and treatment for children in need and those who are marginalised and gives children and young people a voice.

Children’s Parliament is Scotland’s centre of excellence for children’s participation and engagement, using a rights-based approach in their work and the UNCRC as founding principles. Children’s Parliament in Scotland works directly with children through projects and consultations and educates and equips adults with knowledge and skills in order that they can replicate Children’s Parliament’s approach in their own locations.

CRAE protects the human rights of children by lobbying, bringing or supporting test cases and by using regional and international human rights mechanisms. They provide free legal information and advice  raise awareness of children’s human rights and undertake research about children’s access to their rights. They mobilise others, including children and young people to take action to promote and protect children’s human rights and each year. CRAE publishes each year a review of the State of children’s rights in England.

The Department of Applied Social Research – University of Bedfordshire brings together research within the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, producing work which both anticipates and shapes key changes in policy administration and practice in the area of social care, child care and protection work with vulnerable young people and youth justice. It aims at building a trans-national comparative element into each of these areas.

The Centre for Children and Young People’s Participation is concerned with promoting and researching participation, inclusion and empowerment. The Centre is a forum for shared thinking that promotes seminars, workshops, conferences and publications and implements a planned programme of research. Children and young people are involved in every part of the process: managing the Centre, planning the research programme and carrying out research. The Centre holds regular meetings where adults and young people work together to plan the work of the Centre and design research projects.

Together is an alliance of Scottish children’s charities that works to improve the awareness  understanding and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Their activities include the promotion of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the support to children’s organisations to integrate the UNCRC into their work and the monitoring and the report on the progress made at a Scottish and UK level.

The Early Years Organisation is a non-profit making organisation that has been active since 1965 to promote high quality childcare for children aged 0 – 12 and their families. Currently Early Years provides information and training for parents, childcare providers, employers and local authorities.

Refugee Rights Data Project (RRDP) is a non-governmental human rights organisation which aims to fill information gaps relating to refugees and displaced people in Europe by conducting its own independent field research. RRDP’s objective it to provide influencers and policymakers with a powerful tool, enabling them to identify specific problem areas and work towards formulating a sustainable response to the humanitarian crisis and to reach a firm policy action that upholds the human rights of refugees and displaced people.

Sir Albert Aynsley-Green started his career in medicine in London at Guy’s Hospital. He was Clinical then University Lecturer in Paediatrics and Fellow of Green College University of Oxford and Professor of Child Health and Head of the School of Clinic.

Florence Koenderink has been involved in alternative care including institutional care in low and middle-income countries for over 13 years. In 2018, she founded Why Family-Based Solutions with the purpose of supporting the move from institutional care toward family-based alternative care through consultancy   awareness raising, research and publication. Prior to that she ran the NGO Orphanage Projects from 2007-2018.

The European Children’s Rights Unit (ECRU) works alongside many external members from a range of academic, non-governmental and other research-driven organisations, to pursue a participatory, interdisciplinary research ethos into children’s rights. Its focus is on the European (including comparative) dimension and is particularly distinctive in exploring the interplay between different levels of governance and the impact of those interactions on children’s rights.

Gareth Williams James is a UK based Independent Education Specialist working in the field of Children in Care and Care Leavers. Gareth has great experience in promoting good educational achievements for children in alternative care and care leavers as he served as a Virtual School Head for ten years. He continues to serve in this role as an interim manager for local authorities between substantive appointments as well as providing consultation and services to charities and social enterprises. Gareth is part of the of the European Care Leavers network, a member of the Institute for Recovery from Childhood Trauma and the DfE Advisory Board for Boarding School Partnerships in the UK. He has previously been an Associate to the National Children’s Bureau and a Sector Specialist for the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes.

John Fitzgerald was the Chair of Glasbury Arts, a community based arts organisation operating under the auspices of Glasbury Village Hall and run by volunteers of its community. Glasbury Arts provides a visual and performing arts programme throughout the winter in rural mid-Wales which aims to bring the best of arts programming to and enhance participation in its community.

The Lifestart Foundation’s mission is to produce better child development outcomes by making available to parents evidence-based knowledge and information on how children develop and learn implemented through the delivery of the Lifestart Growing Child Programme. The Lifestart Growing Child programme is a child-centred, month-by-month guide for parents; it is uniquely designed to support parents create the best possible environment for their child to develop and is delivered to parents on a one-to-one basis in their own home.

Malgorzata Kmita is a former President of Mental Health Europe. As a psychotherapist, social worker and mental health activist she has promoted internationally empowerment, human rights and social cohesion as a basis for peaceful co-existence and well-being. She is a Convener of the Janusz Korczak Network UK and has been active for many years in the International Korczak Association.

Marion Macleod is a committed advocate for children’s rights and for achieving better and more equitable outcomes for all children. She has over thirty years’ experience of working with children in social care, health and education as a practitioner, planner and policy developer. She has a degree in modern history and postgraduate qualifications in social work and social services management. She has specialised knowledge of a number of policy areas particularly early years, family support and young people in out of home care.

The Department of Mental Health, Social Work and Integrative Medicine is one of the leading providers of mental health, social work and complementary health education in the UK. In March 2005 it was awarded status as a Centre of Excellence for Teaching and Learning (CETL) by the Higher Education Funding Council. The Department has a large and diversely skilled staff group who have extensive knowledge and understanding of mental health, social work education and integrative medicine in the areas of education, practice and research.

Voices From Care Cymru brings young people together throughout Wales, who are, or have been looked after. We aim to provide opportunities, to improve the conditions of being in care, to promote the view of young people and to protect the interests of young people in care.

5Rights Foundation, the brainchild of Baroness Beeban Kidron, started as a set of principles that would reimagine the digital world as a place children and young people were afforded their existing right to participate in the digital world creatively, knowledgeably and fearlessly. In 2018, 5Rights developed from an idea into an organisation. Now an internationally active non-governmental, non-profit charitable organisation, 5Rights Foundation has three areas of work: data and privacy, child-centred design and children’s rights.

Vânia S. Pinto is a Lecturer in Health and Social Care at Leeds Trinity University. Moreover, she is working towards the completion of her doctorate at the Rees Centre, Department of Education, University of Oxford. She is also a Clinical Psychologist, and a Board Member of various networks, such as the Oxford Children’s Rights Network and AjudAjudar. She has several publications in the field of child protection systems, decision-making processes, and the role of foster carers.