News
31/01/2013 - UNICEF-UK research launched at the Scottish Parliament
25/01/2013 - Children's Rights hosted Frances Bestley and Naomi Danquah from UNICEF
25/01/2013 - Centre for Children's Rights at international research symposium
20/01/2013 - Research Impact Event: Assessment for Learning - where are we now? with Professor John Gardner, Univ of Stirling
11/12/2012 - New research on CRC incorporation and implementation for UNICEF UK
10/12/2012 - Doctoral Funding available for Chinese student at the Centre
04/12/2012 - Visit by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England
03/12/2102 - Centre staff hold research seminar to mark United Nations Human Rights Day
14/09/2012 - CCR Researchers report on their Review of Transitions to Adult Services for Young People with Learning Difficulties
19/06/2012 - Research Capacity Building in Morocco
10/06/2012 - Cambridge Academic Alison Cook-Sather Delivers Masterclass on Student Consultation as a Right in Secondary Teacher Preparation
On January 22nd, the Centre for Children’s Rights recent research on the legal implementation of the UNCRC in twelve countries was launched in the Scottish Parliament in an event chaired by Neil Bibby MSP, shadow Minister for Children and Young People. Professor Laura Lundy outlined the key findings of the report and in response, Aileen Campbell MSP, Minister for Children and Young People welcomed the research and said that it would inform their next steps in relation to the Children and Young People Bill and ongoing efforts to implement the UNCRC. Anita Tiessen, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF-UK addressed the implications for the UK government and Professor Kay Tisdall of the University of Edinburgh reflected on the implications of the research for Scotland.
Click here for the report.
This January 2013 the Centre for Children's Rights hosted Frances Bestley and Naomi Danquah from Unicef UK for a two-day working meeting at Queen's University to develop a tool for measuring Children's Rights. Members from the Centre for Children's Rights and the Centre for Effective Education brought a broad range of expertise together to consider what a Child's Right measure looks like and how it can be applied to various Unicef Projects, including the Rights Respecting Schools programme and the Child's Rights Partners programme.
QUB Centre for Children's Rights at international research symposium.
The 2013 International PhD Symposium on Children's Rights was hosted by the European Children's Rights Unit at the University of Liverpool on 10-11 January. PhD researchers from nine universities in seven countries presented work in progress on aspects of children's rights in an interdiscipinary context spanning legal, educational, sociological and historical perspectives, while leading international academics provided feedback and provoked debate. The QUB Centre for Children's Rights was represented by Lucy Royal-Dawson, exploring the power vacuum that threatens higher education in occupied Palestine, Harry Shier, looking at conceptual frameworks for education rights, and the Centre's Director, Professor Laura Lundy, as discussant.
At this Research Impact Event Professor John Gardner from the University of Stirling will introduce discussion on the outcomes of the ESRC funded Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning (CPAL2) project.
Venue: Riddel Hall, Queen’s University Belfast
Date: Friday 1 February 2013
Time: 4pm - 6.15pm
Refreshments available.
Please RSVP: Jan Speer
One of the outcomes of the project is a video.
The Centre for Children’s Rights has conducted a study of UNCRC implementation for UNICEF-UK. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: a study of legal implementation in 12 countries looks in countries beyond the UK in order to compile evidence of the most effective and impactful ways of embedding children’s rights into domestic law. The 12 countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden) were chosen to demonstrate the variety of ways in which different places have provided for children’s rights at the national level by taking steps to implement the Convention. The study provides an international context against which we can compare what is happening in the four jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. The research was led by Professor Laura Lundy and involved Dr Bronagh Byrne of the Centre and Professor Ursula Kilkelly of University College Cork. It was launched in the House of Lords and Welsh Senate in November. The report is available here.
The Centre has been awarded a Queen’s University China Scholarship for doctoral study commencing in September 2013. Details about the application process are available here.
Lisa Davis of the Office of the Commissioner for Children for England visited the Centre for Children’s Rights in November. Lisa presented some of the work of the office on the impact of poverty on the rights of disabled children. Lesley Emerson and Bronagh Byrne gave related presentations.
To mark United Nations Human Rights Day, the Human Rights, Equality and Social Cohesion Research Group will hold a seminar on 10th December from 2.00-3.30pm in the Cathcart Room, 69 University Street.
Laura Lundy and Jannette Elwood will be offering refreshments with a view to raising some money for charities supporting girls’ right to education internationally.
The seminar will be led by Laura Lundy, Lesley Emerson and Katrina Lloyd from the Centre for Children’s Rights and will focus on education policy reform in Northern Ireland from a human rights perspective. A research report carried out by the centre for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission will provide the basis for the presentation.
The seminar will provide space for discussion and questions. We hope that it will stimulate a lot of discussion relating to the research topic and connect to your own research interests.
This is the first Research Group seminar and we are hoping that it will provide these seminars with opportunities to share ideas and to bring colleagues together.
Everybody with an interest in the work of each Research Group is very welcome to come along to these seminars.
Click here for the seminar flyer.
Young people with learning disabilities face a flawed system when moving from children services to adult services, a report from the Children’s Commissioner, Patricia Lewsley-Mooney, has found.
The ‘Review of Transitions to Adult Services for Young People with Learning Difficulties’ found inconsistencies, weaknesses and gaps in existing arrangements for children with learning disabilities moving from child to adult services.
The report by researchers at Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB) looked at the transition arrangements for young people with learning disabilities across education, health and social care, as well as other areas such as employment.
Professor Laura Lundy (School of Education) who completed the report with Dr Bronagh Byrne (QUB) and Dr Paschal McKeown (Mencap) said:
“The report indicates that there is a pressing need for greater communication and co-operation between public services in education, health and social care as well as accessible information and support for parents and young people about the services available to them on transition”
She continued, “Concerns relating to young people with learning disabilities attending Further Education (FE) courses, centred on the lack of a choice of courses which meet the young person’s own interests and aspirations as well as opportunities for genuine progression”.
“In the context of employment, again there is variation across NI in terms of supported employment opportunities, the availability of suitable work experience placements, and the impact of part-time working on social security benefits.” concluded Professor Lundy.
Mrs Lewsley- Mooney, who commissioned the report, said: “I am regularly contacted by concerned parents telling me about the difficulties faced by their children moving from child to adult services.
“The transition to adulthood should be a time of excitement and opportunity, however for young people with learning disabilities and their families it is often a time of stress and anxiety about the possible loss of support and services which are currently in place, and uncertainty about the future.”
The report, which examined current law, policy and services relating to transitions highlighted ongoing difficulties with current arrangements and demonstrated there can be a stark contrast between international child rights obligations placed upon Government and the reality experienced by young people and their families in Northern Ireland.
Young people move to adult services at different ages across education, health and social care. The age they leave school and range of options they have can vary depending on where they live.
“I acknowledge that attempts have been made to alleviate some of the difficulties faced by young people and their families at times of transition, said the Commissioner.
“However we must recognise that barriers continue to persist for young people and their families. I call on the Northern Ireland Executive to make sure that the service planning process is fully integrated across education, health and social care, that there is effective cooperation between agencies and that the views of young people themselves are properly taken account of.”
The Commissioner concluded: “As young people prepare to leave the structure and support of school based arrangements it is essential that the transition is well planned, properly resourced and has the rights and best interests of each young person at its heart.”
“When young people with learning disabilities are adjusting to new environments like further education, training, day care or independent living it is vital they get the support they need to make sure the move is successful.”
Paul Connolly and Lesley Emerson from the School of Education were invited to talk specifically about the development of interdisciplinary research centres and innovative approaches to research with children and young people respectively.
Paul Connolly, Head of the School of Education, focused on the experiences of establishing the School's Centre for Effective Education and the wider cross-university initiative Improving Children's Lives. Lesley Emerson, Deputy Director of the School's Centre for Children's Rights shared some of the innovative child rights-based methods that the Centre has developed.
Speaking of the event, Paul Connolly said: "We were absolutely delighted to have been invited to contribute to this strategically important event for higher education in Morocco. The fact that we were invited specifically demonstrates the strong reputation the School of Education has for applied and interdisciplinary research internationally in the area of children and young people. While in Morocco we made a number of important connections and plan to follow these up over the year ahead."
For further information contact Lesley Emerson at: l.emerson@qub.ac.uk
Professor Cook-Sather is currently the Jean Ruddock visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge. As part of this fellowship, she has been running an annual workshop at Cambridge which brings together invited experts on student voice. Professor Laura Lundy, who is continuing her work on children's right to participation in educational decision-making, has been participating in these workshops.
While at Queen's, Professor Cook-Sather ran a Masterclass on the theme of Student Consultation as a Right in Secondary Teacher Preparation. This was attended by teachers, child rights advocates, academic staff and students. Participants had time to share their own experiences of student
participation and have formed a special interest group to disseminate information on theory and practice.