The 2024 European Social Services Conference will bring together leaders in social services to inspire ideas on co-creating the future of community-based social services. Register here to join the largest forum in Europe on social work policy and practice

Updated Checklist for the Integration of Protection of Children Affected by Armed Conflict into the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Missions and Operations

This is the Council of the European Union's Conclusions on the update of the EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict, as approved by the Council at its 4038th meeting, held on 24 June 2024.

Originally published in 2018 and updated in 2024 defines the EU’s global approach to protecting children affected by wars. These guidelines are intended to serve as a practical tool to direct and assist EU actors throughout the world in their work on children and armed conflict, including other situations of armed violence by state and non-state actors, such as terrorist organisations and organised criminal groups.

Around the globe, an estimated 27 million people are exploited for labor, services, and commercial sex. Through force, fraud, and coercion, they are made to toil in fields and factories, in restaurants and residences. Traffickers prey on some of the world’s most marginalized and vulnerable individuals – profiting from their plight. Among these individuals are children who are forced into criminality, sex trafficking, child soldiering, and in some countries the forced marriage of children has been defined as a form of exploitation.

Representatives from leading organizations working at the intersection of early childhood development (ECD) and humanitarian action will discuss how they are elevating early childhood development through a systems lens, as well as the lessons learned. They will also share the lessons they have learned to ensure coordinated and systemic delivery of services in volatile and dynamic contexts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Technical Advisory Group on Violence against Children Prevalence Estimation.

Violence against children caught in multiplying and escalating conflicts reached “extreme levels” in 2023 with an unprecedented number of killings and injuries, including in the occupied Palestinian territory, a United Nations report has found.

In this session, we will be exploring the legal aspects of permanence and early permanence with our Legal Consultants Alexandra Conroy Harris, and Augusta Itua. This six part series is tailored specifically to recently qualified social workers, students and those wanting to find out more about adoption, fostering and kinship care.

In the complex work of caring for vulnerable children, we don't have to rely on guesswork or intuition to address challenges effectively. Research provides many insights that can make a practical difference in the way we care for vulnerable children. The CAFO Research Center invites you to join them to hear about some of the key findings, trends, and themes that research has to offer as it relates to care for kids.