“Children’s rights require special protection and call for continuous improvement of the situation of children all over the world, as well as for their development and education in conditions of peace and security.” (Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989)
How many of us believe that all children have a right to participate in decisions that concern them? The right to housing, care and a family? The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child spells out the basic human rights that all children should have. A child’s rights consist primarily of:
•the right to survival;
•the right to develop to the fullest;
•the right to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation;
•the right to participate fully in family, cultural and social life.
A safe family environment is paramount for the full and harmonious development of a child’s personality. Children must be brought up in an atmosphere shrouded in peace, love, dignity, happiness, freedom, equality and understanding. By reason of physical and mental immaturity, children need special safeguards and care and not abuse and uncertainty.
Agenzija Appogg is committed to the promotion of a society with zero tolerance to violence and abuse. Children must know and be informed about their rights not only within their society but also in their family. Educating parents and society at large helps in the prevention of abuse and violation of rights which are not only private problems but also social ones. Silence and inaction allow abuse on children to continue. It is for this reason that the Agency provides the necessary services to protect children (such as the Child Protection Services, the Looked After Children Service) and provide the necessary care they require, such as through the Fostering service.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children have a right to a family and to a family environment. Fostering is one of the best ways to help children in need. This entails that a family provides care, shelter and support to a child, or children, who for one reason or another, cannot live with his/her natural family. This gives the child the opportunity to live within a loving and secure family environment. The aim of fostering is that children live within a family until their natural family would be able to take them back, if and when this is in the best interest of the child.
An upcoming opportunity for local professionals, students and people working in related fields is the international conference Preventing Social Exclusion of Children and Young People.
Social exclusion relates to the alienation of certain people within a society. It is often connected to a person’s social class, educational status, living standards and how these might affect their access to various opportunities. Anyone who deviates in any perceived way from the norm of a population can become subject to coarse or subtle forms of social exclusion.
This is the third annual conference held by Eurochild – an international non-profit making association, which aims to promote the rights and welfare of children and young people at European and national level. The work of Eurochild AISBL is underpinned by the principles enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The upcoming annual conference will be held in Malta in collaboration with Agenzija Appogg between 22 and 23 November.
This conference will be in English and will take place at the Radisson BayPoint SAS, St Julian’s.
Conference Workshops
During this conference, Eurochild will focus on three main themes which are considered to be crucial to preventing social exclusion and poverty among children and young people in Europe. For each of them a workshop will be set up, running across two sessions, to provide a platform for exchange of information, discussion and concrete recommendations on how the good practice experience can be applied in the broader policy framework. These workshops will also illustrate how the principles of participation and early intervention are applied.
Workshop 1: Child and Youth Participation
The objective of this workshop will be to share good practice models of how children and young people – particularly the most marginalised – are involved in decision making and implementation. Also it is important to agree on a common understanding of participation and develop preliminary common principles on implementation at different levels – local, regional, national and European. The facilitator will be CreatXchange (tbc) and the contributors include The Participation Network & Big Deal Participation Hub, Northern Ireland, U.K.; Y.E.S. Forum & BAG EJSA, Europe-wide & Germany; Malta Child Protective Service, Malta; Cyprus Youth Parliament.
Workshop 2: Support for Families Most at Risk of Exclusion
This workshop will offer the space for the participants to look at strategies to identify, engage with and empower families at risk. Emphasis will be made on Eurochild’s existing key messages on “supporting children’s rights through positive parenting policies to establish underlying quality principles”. The facilitator will be Anne Williams and contributors include Vorarlbegrer Kinderdorf, Austria; SOS Children’s Villages – family strengthening project; Children in Wales, UK.
Workshop 3: Early Years Education and Care
Here the main aim is to gain a greater understanding of the role of early years’ education and care in mitigating poverty and educational disadvantage. The facilitator is John Benett (tbc) and contributors include: The Netherlands Youth Institute – the Opstapje Projects; Estonian Union for Child Welfare; Agenzija Appogg Malta.
Those interested in attending this conference are kindly asked to contact Etienne Bonello for more information on tel. 2388-5000 or email etienne.bonello@ gov.mt. Registration forms will be available on request.
For more information about this conference please visit www.eurochild.org/malta2007 or www.appogg.gov.mt.
Article provided by the Foundation for Social Welfare Service, which incorporates Agenzija Appogg, Agenzija Sapport, and Agenzija Sedqa.
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Apart from organising regular training courses for those wishing to become foster parents, and offering constant support to those fostering children, Agenzija Appogg is currently preparing for the international conference Developing foster care for children and families in the European Union, CEE, CIS and North Africa – New challenges, Quality standards and Solutions.
This conference, coordinated by the International Foster Care Organisation (IFCO) and Agenzija Appogg will be held in Malta between 18 and the 21 November. This conference is being organised in collaboration with the National Foster Care Association of Malta and the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity.
IFCO2007MALTA will seek to link together all those involved in the development of family-based care in the countries of the EU, CEE, CIS and nearby North Africa. The conference will move to Malta after the success of recent IFCO Conferences held in New Zealand, USA, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Finland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
IFCO2007MALTA will have a full programme of plenary and workshop sessions plus project visits and an evening social programme. The conference will be in English.
Who Can Apply: IFCO Training Seminars are for all involved in the development of quality foster care - young people, foster parents/carers, social workers, students, researchers, academics, trainers, managers, policy makers, educators and other caring professionals. The programme for the November conference will be full of high quality presentations plus plenty of time for networking and socialising.
Some of the confirmed international speakers include Maria Herczog (UN CRC Member / Hungary), Emily Jean McFadden (USA), Tim Hanley, Kevin O’Farrel (Ireland), Kate Cairns, Brian Cairns, Jane Asquith, Christine Smart, Jennifer Cousins, Kevin Williams, Mark Harrisson, Emmanuel Sherwin (England), Olivia Galea-Seychell (Malta), Elayn Sammon (Ukraine), Kathleen Kufeldt, Robert Twigg (Canada), Sarah Crange, Bryan Ritchie, Sue Robertson, Sandra Moody (Scotland), Luisa Boleo (Portugal), Rene De Bot (Netherlands), Chris Gardiner, Tereza Tesarova (Czech Republic) and Jill Worral (New Zealand).
This conference will be in English and will take place at the Radisson SAS Golden Sands Resort and Spa.
Those interested in attending for this conferences are kindly asked to contact Mr Etienne Bonello for
more information on
tel. 2388-5000 or email
[email protected]. Registration forms will be available on request. For more information about this conference please visit www.ifco.info.