ENOC held its 28th Annual Conference and General Assembly meeting in Helsinki, Finland, from 18-20 September 2024. The conference, titled "Protecting and Promoting the Rights of Children in Alternative Care", based on the annual theme was hosted by the Office of the Ombudsman for Children in Finland, led by Elina Pekkarinen, who, on this occasion, took over the Chairmanship of ENOC for the coming year.

Ombudspersons and Commissioners for Children from across Europe and beyond attended, as did representatives from key European and International Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations, professionals, experts, and other stakeholders working in the field of children’s rights.

The research carried out by experts Tarja Pösö, Professor Emerita, University of Tampere and Terhi Tuukkanen, Senior researcher, Office of the Ombudsman for Children in Finland over the year provided valuable findings to help better implement and improve the rights of children in alternative care. It also identified critical shortcomings in the care system, such as the lack of psychological support and the absence of systematic best interest assessments.

Young people participating in the ENYA 2024 project played an active role throughout the event. They hosted sessions related to different aspects of the conference theme and presented, in an interactive and inclusive way, their recommendations on the rights of children in alternative care as part of ENYA Forum 2024 activities.

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The ENOC 2024 Annual Conference spanned two days, providing a forum for in-depth discussions and presentations focused on the annual theme.

Day 1:

Day 1 of the conference began with an opening session moderated by Elina Pekkarinen, Ombudsman for Children in Finland, ENOC Chair-Elect, and the host of the conference. The speakers for this session included Caroline Vrijens, ENOC Chair and Children’s Rights Commissioner in Belgium/Flanders; Johanna Suurpää, Permanent Secretary and Head of the Department of Democracy and Public Law at the Ministry of Justice, Finland; and Sirpa Rautio, Director of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.

Following the opening session, the first session of the conference featured a series of important speakers. Ann Skelton, Chairperson of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, shared a video message. Additionally, Katrin Uerpmann, Secretary of the Council of Europe Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF), and Marta Tarragona Fenosa, Legal and Policy Officer and member of the European Commission Coordinator for the Rights of the Child’s team, provided insights into the current European landscape regarding children's rights in alternative care.

The second session, focused on standing by children in vulnerable situations, addressed key issues affecting vulnerable children. It included a video message from Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia & Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Response in Europe. Helena Inkinen, Development Manager at the Finnish NGO Pesäpuu ry, also spoke about supporting vulnerable children.

The Young Advisors from the ENYA Forum 2024 took the stage to explain the ENYA 2024 project and participation process through icebreakers and a presentation of the ENYA Forum. This was followed by a panel discussion with Chris Quinn, Ombudsman for Children in Northern Ireland, and Elina Pekkarinen.

The day concluded with workshops where updates from ENOC members were presented, moderated by four members of the ENOC Bureau.

Day 2:

Day 2 began with the presentation of the results and conclusions of the ENOC survey on the Rights of Children in Alternative Care, delivered by Tarja Pösö, Professor Emerita from the University of Tampere in Finland and the University of Bergen in Norway, and Terhi Tuukkanen, Senior Researcher at the Office of the Ombudsman for Children in Finland.

This was followed by the presentation of the ENYA Recommendations on the Rights of Children in Alternative Care, which highlighted key findings and proposals for improving the situation of children in such settings. The Young Advisors shared their recommendations and led an interactive session with the audience.

The next session, focusing on the Quality and Monitoring of Alternative Care, continued the discussion on the evaluation and oversight of alternative care systems. The speakers included Jenni Repo, a Doctoral Researcher from the University of Tampere, who presented her research on the quality of alternative care, and Kirsti Kurki-Suonio, Presenting Councilor at the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman in Finland, who addressed monitoring practices.

In the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to engage in field visits. These included a visit to The Helsinki Mother and Child Home Association, where they learned about the services provided to vulnerable families, and a visit to Kaisaniemi Primary School, which focuses on music and dance education.

 

Read the ENOC 28th Annual Conference report HERE.

 

Group photo of participants to the ENOC Annual Conference, Helsinki, 2024

 

 

 

(Image designed by Freepik ; Photo by Anna Dammert)