Participation and collaboration for action Erasmus Project

Project Title

Participation and collaboration for action

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Home and justice affairs (human rights & rule of law); Early childhood education and care

Project Summary

The UN Sustainable Development Goals contain a specific focus on shared decision-making for all groups, with the aim of creating ‘responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels’ (SDG-target 16.7). Furthermore, the global definition of social work notes that human rights principles are central to the profession. Within this, much attention has been given to social work and children’s rights and there has been progress nationally and internationally. However, the participation rights of young children (aged 12 and under) remains an ongoing concern because professionals across Europe experience shared difficulties and barriers regarding implementation. There is much learning to be had across and between countries to secure an inclusive society for all children regarding their involvement in decision making.
The overarching aim of this project is to promote the participation of young children (aged 12 years and under) in decision making in a transnational context through strengthening professionals collaboration with young children involved in child welfare/child protection services by collating and disseminating learning materials for social workers, managers, policy officers and trainers. There are four objectives: first, to increase the competence of social workers/professionals; second, to support organisations to create the conditions for participatory social work with young children; third, to provide a framework for policy officers and managers to support the implementation of a participatory approach to social work; and fourth, to provide trainers of post-initial training to teach new tools and methods.
To achieve this, 8 partners (drawn from managers, policy officers, academics and trainers) from 4 countries (B, Es, N, UK) will work together. Guided by an Advisory Board which will bring in the voice of the child, all project outputs will be codesigned in cooperation with all stakeholders and offer an integrated approach to enhancing knowledge, skills, values and practice in collaborating with young children. The project will comprise tangible outputs, namely the development of one online platform with three outputs comprising: a media library for all stakeholders; a framework for management and policy officers; and a toolkit for trainers.
The media library will be accessible to all stakeholders in a transnational context and will reflect the principles, targets and goals associated with SDG 16 and the UNCRC (both internationally applicable frameworks with obligations attached). It will comprise: methods and tools accessible for social workers to use in their interactions with young children; podcasts of interviews and testimonials; vimeos that explain specific methods and tools; reports (written and vimeo) of the explored practices; and reflections of participants on their use, views and experiences of new methods.
The management and policy framework will be informed by the conditions and contextual factors commonly shared in a transnational context that enhance opportunities to strengthen the competence of social workers to work with young children. The new framework will enable managers and policy officers to develop implementation strategies for new models of participative social work in child welfare/protection services; provide guidance to managers in the supervision and appraisal of their staff thereby helping to create the conditions for their staff to work in more participatory ways through collaborative approaches with young children.
The toolkit, accessible to all, will comprise: vimeos with demonstrations of methods and tools in use with young children; vimeos with demonstrations of challenging situations in collaborating with young children; and exercises that stimulate self-reflection.
The project will also host multiplier events and 3 transnational learning events that will be organised once a year, for 3 days duration each in Belgium, Norway and the UK. In this way, hundreds of people in this field of work will be reached. Regional Innovative methods will be collected, explored and trained. New practices will be co-produced. Between the transnational learning events, regional peer learning sessions will be held to transfer and experiment in their own context.
Tangible results and impacts from the project include: children in child welfare/protection participating and collaborating with their social workers; social workers gaining competences (knowledge, skills, attitudes) in collaborating with young children; policy officers and managers creating the culture and context for improved participatory social work; and trainers enhancing the competence of social workers. Impact will be measured using indicators and principles associated with SDG 16 and the UNCRC. Within these parameters, the Advisory Group will assist in developing the most appropriate impact indicator framework.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 337050 Eur

Project Coordinator

ARTEVELDEHOGESCHOOL & Country: BE

Project Partners

• UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID
• THE QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST
• FUNDACION SECRETARIADO GITANO
• TRONDHEIM KOMMUNE
• Voice of Young People in Care
• NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU
• Opgroeien Regie