Join us for the #SeeHearAct Conference, at Stranmillis College on February 7~8 2018!
Women’s Aid Federation NI (WAFNI) will host the island of Ireland’s first ever Children and domestic abuse Conference in Belfast in February 2018. The aim of the conference is to provide support tools and practical strategies to anyone working with children and young people, to help them respond to any children who may be affected by domestic abuse.
The NI Commissioner for Children and Young People, Koulla Yiasouma, will be among several high profile speakers including; Lord Justice Gillen, Head of the Review of Civil and Family Justice in Northern Ireland; Dr Claire Houghton, Expert Advisor in Children’s Rights and Gender-based Violence at the University of Edinburgh; Davina James-Hanman, Independent Violence against Women Consultant; Stephanie Holt, Associate Professor of Social Studies at Trinity College Dublin; Professor Jane Callaghan, Director of the Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, University of Stirling.
Jan Melia, CEO of WAFNI, says there will be an action-packed programme:
We really want to get people thinking about how to involve children and young people, how to ask the right questions and change their own work to ensure children are seen and heard in all aspects of policy and practice. It will be a fantastic opportunity for us all to see, hear and act!
Women’s Aid believes that everyone can do something, so participants will learn about how they can make a difference and involve children and young people in the work they do, and how important they are in a young person’s life.
Koulla Yiasouma will be addressing domestic abuse as a children’s rights issue and highlighting what she wants for children in Northern Ireland. Speaking ahead of the conference, she said:
It has long been recognised that children and young people are often deeply affected by domestic abuse. That is why it is so important to hear from young people about what this issue means for them, and for them to be central in the design and development of policies and services. I am therefore very pleased to be involved with this important conference.
The ‘See, Hear, Act’ Conference at Stranmillis College will be useful for a number of people including academics, teachers, social workers, medical and dental practitioners, PSNI, youth workers, legal professionals, and representatives from government departments and community and voluntary agencies.
The event is proudly supported by Bank of Ireland UK in partnership with Allstate. To register and book a place at the conference, visit eventbrite.