Summary
Recently engaged in the coordination of the Council of Europe Consultations to inform the development of the new Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027), Defence for Children Italy was mandated by the Council of Europe - in the framework of the CP4Europe project - to develop the concept note for the web-based platform of the “CP4Europe Child Participation Leadership Network”, aimed at supporting the further development of child participation mechanisms and good practices across Europe, through networking, peer exchange and access to key resources.
The European Union/Council of Europe Joint Project “CP4EUROPE - Strengthening National Child Participation Frameworks and Action in Europe” aims at contributing to the promotion of children’s rights to participation at national and pan-European levels in accordance with Council of Europe standards and tools in this area. This project aims at promoting the use of European tools on child participation amongst EU member States, including the Council of Europe Child Participation Assessment Tool (CPAT) and the Council of Europe Handbook on child participation “Listen-Act-Change” (2021).
Under the coordination of the Council of Europe Children’s Rights Division, the project will be carried out in five partner countries Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland, Portugal and Slovenia. Deliverables at the national level will include assessments of national mechanisms for child participation, the development of model national strategies, handbooks, checklists and training materials aimed at building capacities on collective and individual child participation. Moreover, the project foresees the establishment of a “Child Participation Leadership Network Platform” aimed at connecting the current partners of the project to benefit from mutual peer support regarding the challenges of child participation in various settings.
