The Eurochips staff have been preparing for the upcoming conference Coping with a Parent in Prison: An Agenda for Policy reform to take place on 6 November in Brussels.
The event marks the end of the 3-year COPING research project. Bolstered by a child’s rights framework, more than 800 children affected by parental incarceration have been interviewed in Britain, Sweden, Germany and Romania.
Researches have investigated such factors as resilience, needs assessment, and available social services for this vulnerable group of children. This is the first time a transnational EU funded project has focused on children of imprisoned parents on such a grand scale.
The conference aims to reveal findings and recommendations to EU policy-makers in an effort to ensure that the topic of children of imprisoned parents is recognized at all levels of the EU judicial and child’s rights arenas. The morning session will host presenters from within the project, whilst the afternoon session will focus on recommendations from the findings and turn the conversation over to a panel of experts including:
UNICEF Brussels Director Philippe Cori
Children’s Commissioner Coordinator for Child’s Rights Margaret Tuite
World Health Organization Prison and Policy Officer Stefan Enggist
QUNO Representative for Human Rights and Refugees Rachel Brett
MEP Jean Lambert is scheduled to give the keynote speech and the event will be co-chaired by Children’s Commissioner Cyprus Leda Koursoumba and Deputy Ombudsman for Children Croatia Maja Gabelica Supljika.
Private invitations have been sent to policy-makers on the EU as well as national levels. Space is limited for the event, which includes coffee and lunch breaks but if you are interested in attending please contact Vikki Hart at v.Hart@hud.ac.uk before 22 October. Remaining seats will be granted to those who RSVP first.