International Children’s Rights, Welfare and Policy Research Group
The International Children’s Rights, Welfare and Policy Research Group interrogates the current state of children’s rights and welfare in the UK and globally within the context of increasing global complexities and uncertainties. Our activities aim to improve children’s rights, status, interests and welfare in research, policy and practice.
Overview
The group draws on long-standing research on child welfare and children’s rights in the School for Policy Studies (SPS) and, in particular, seeks to continue the legacy established by the Children and Families Research Centre which was hosted by SPS between 1995 and 2025. The group is closely connected to the Childhoods & Social Justice Research Centre in the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences.
Our group’s goals
The group brings together colleagues and PGRs within SPS as well as the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS) who draw on diverse theoretical and methodological frameworks to explore constructions of childhoods, children’s rights, children’s participation, interests and status as well as issues relating to child welfare and child protection.
As a group, the geographical scope of our research covers the UK and a range of countries internationally, including Ghana, Jordan, Namibia, Nigeria, Palestine and Turkiye. Additionally, group members have well established links with partners who are based in diverse parts of the world, including Africa, Latin America, North America, South Asia and other parts of Europe.
Group research themes
- The meaning of children’s rights
- The value and role of children in policy-making processes
- Child-centred participatory and creative research methodologies
- Child and family welfare policies
Group members
- Vicky Sharley (SPS)
- Debbie Watson (SPS)
- Mohammed Alruzzi (SPS)
- Jo Staines (SPS)
- Gozde Burger (SPS)
- Tim Fowler (SPAIS)
- Aalto Peltoniemi (PGR, SPS)
- Kath Bowen-Viner (PGR, SPS)