Child-Friendly Justice in action !
IMPLEMENTING CHILD-FRIENDLY JUSTICE PRINCIPLES IN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS INVOLVING CHILDREN
The project aims to guide and promote the adaptation of administrative proceedings to the specificities of the child. This approach is based on the child-friendly principles enshrined in the Guidelines of the Council of Europe for a child-friendly justice (for more information please see this link).
This project will enable the Network to have an overview of the implementation of child-friendly justice in European countries participating in the project (good practices and needs of professionals working with children in contact with the judicial system). It will also allow us to have an overview of good practices and needs of young people. Finally this project will bring an effective response to these needs and gaps. The whole project is based on a bottom-up approach.
Thanks to these tools and to this project, professionals will effectively be aware of the child-friendly justice principles and of the way they can implement child-friendly justice, the way they can be trained or supported.
STEP 1 : Needs analysis on Child-Friendly Justice - Voice of professionals
This questionnaire intends to
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Give an overview on how the administrative authorities/jurisdictions are adapted to children (from the first contact, through possible interviews with the child, to the final decision);
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Identify difficulties that may prevent the application of the child-friendly justice principles;
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Highlight professionals’ good practices on the implementation of child-friendly justice
STEP 2 : Needs analysis on Child-Friendly Justice - Voice of children
DCI believes that young people have their say in the issues that concern them and is a strong advocate of the right to participation enshrined in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. As advocates for youth rights, DCI acts on a daily basis to give a voice to youth and it seems essential to include youth in this process of change and adaptation of the justice system.
This second step consists in establishing an analysis of the needs and recommendations coming directly from children who have been or are in contact with the judicial system in their country. The aim is to get children to talk about their experiences, the obstacles they have encountered, and the positive aspects they have found in their legal proceedings. It will then be a question of identifying the good practices, the elements to be improved, the expectations of the young people themselves.
FINAL STEP 3 : Practical toolkit for professionals
This last step will finalize the project and will gather responses to the needs identified during the first two phases of the project among youth workers and young people. It will formulate recommendations and provide solutions to the problems and shortcomings identified.
Thanks to this tool, professionals will have a more practical vision of child-friendly justice that often remains unknown or too abstract for professionals in the field. They will then be able to better understand the principles of child-friendly justice, how to include them in their daily practice and become real agents of change.
PARTNERS
This project is implemented in 7 European countries thanks to the members of this Network.
FUNDED BY
