Training of Care Professionals

Training Professionals Working with Children in Care

A joint European project on child rights-based care

'Training Professionals Working with Children in Care' is a two-year partnership (2015-2016) between SOS Children’s Villages International, the Council of Europe, Eurochild and partners in Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Italy, Latvia, Hungary and Romania. The project aims to improve the living conditions and life prospects of children and young people living in alternative care, by providing care professionals with continued training in how to apply a child rights-based approach to their work with children.

These trainings build on Securing Children’s Rights and Discover Your Rights, two guides developed by SOS Children’s Villages International and the Council of Europe. Securing Children’s Rights is written for care professionals, while Discover Your Rights is written for children and young people in care.

SOS Children’s Villages works on a continuing basis with key national and European stakeholders to ensure that care professionals gain better understandings of how to apply child rights awareness to their work.
 

What is a child rights-based approach to alternative care?

When care professionals take care of children in a way that demonstrates respect for the children, and which actively contributes to fulfilling all their rights as children, then they are applying a child rights-based approach to their work.

Children’s rights apply to every person under the age of 18 and are defined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which recognises that children are more vulnerable than adults and therefore deserve special protections and care.


Groundwork
  • The handbook, Realising Children’s Rights: A training manual for care professionals working with children in alternative care, is finalised in November 2015 based on experience and best practices from different European countries.
  • An international ‘training of trainers’ workshop for two trainers from each country is conducted by a team of international experts, 15-18 November 2015.
  • National trainings are held for 842 care professionals from various care-providing organisations.
  • Training evaluations show clear improvements in participants’ perceived knowledge and attitudes about children’s rights in alternative care.
  • Participants’ reviews and concrete examples show that the trainings are helpful for their daily practice with children in alternative care. 

Sharing the knowledge
Realising Children's Rights: A training manual for care profesionals working with children in alternative care
European Recommendations on the Implementation of a Child Rights-Based Approach for Care Professionals Working with and for Children

Participating SOS Children's Villages associations

SOS Children's Villages Bulgaria
SOS Children's Villages Croatia
SOS Children's Villages Estonia
SOS Children's Villages France
SOS Children's Villages Hungary
SOS Children's Villages Italy
SOS Children's Villages Latvia
SOS Children's Villages Romania

 

International project partners

 

 

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Tools for care professionals
Publications for professionals working in the field of alternative care.

Publications
Prepare for leaving care
Learn about how we work to ensure the rights of young people in alternative care.