Fall 2018 BC Child Rights Symposium

GlobalChild, in partnership with the BC Representative for Children and Youth and Island Health, hosted a Child Rights Symposium. The symposium was designed to inform child rights and early child development stakeholders as well as the public on the lessons learned from the pilot of the Early Child Rights (ECRI) in British Columbia (BC) from 2016 to 2017, which marked the third and final pilot of this tool globally.

• ECRI final report
• Executive summary

The symposium was a stakeholder engagement event with the ultimate goal of improving the state of early child development (ECD) in BC. Its aim was to raise awareness about the status of young children’s rights in BC, increase collaboration between child rights and ECD stakeholders and, ultimately, build the capacity of these stakeholders to promote development and well-being of young children.

Symposium program

Presenters

• Dr. Michael Prince (Moderator)
• Dr. Ziba Vaghri: Piloting the Early Childhood Rights Indicators in BC
• Tanja Suvilaakso: Significance of a comprehensive strategy for child protection
• Adrienne Montani: Reducing Child Poverty in BC

The objectives of the symposium were to:

1. Inform stakeholders of the findings of the BC Pilot of ECRI,
2. Bring guest speakers to present the current state of knowledge on the issues outlined in the pilot report to further inform stakeholders, and
3. Engage the participants in constructive dialogue to discuss priorities for child protection in BC.

Early Childhood Rights Indicators

Symposium generously funded by:

• Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Reach Award
• Office of the Representative for Children and Youth of BC
• Office of the Representative for Children and Youth of BC
• Island Health Authority