Child Protection in Theory and Practice

Course Information

Course Dates: Spring 2, 2015

Course number: GHP 508 / IGA 343M
Meeting Time: Fridays, 1:30-4:30pm
Location: Kresge, Room 203

Course Instructor
Jacqueline Bhabha, JD, MSc
Professor of the Practice of Public Health
Room 703D
FXB Center for Health & Human Rights
Harvard School of Public Health
651 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 USA
Jacqueline_Bhabha@harvard.edu

Guest Lecturers
Susan Bissell, PhD
Chief of Child Protection
UNICEF
3 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
sbissell@unicef.org

Julie Boatright Wilson, PhD

Harry Kahn Senior Lecturer in Social Policy
Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy
Taubman-440
John F. Kennedy School of Government
79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
julie_wilson@harvard.edu

Nigel Cantwell, MA
Former Head of Implementation of International Standards' unit
Innocenti Research Centre in Florence (UNICEF)
Child Protection Consultant
cantabene@gmail.com

Teaching Assistant: TBD

Course Description
The Child Protection sector consists of a wide range of organizations increasingly needing integration
and coordination. Development and humanitarian Child Protection actors now span United Nations
agencies, human rights bodies, local, national and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), bilateral governmental
development and humanitarian agencies, small civil society organizations (CSOs), international financial
institutions (IFIs), other multilateral institutions, advocacy groups, private foundations, and the private
sector. This plethora of organizations expands opportunities for comprehensive and effective Child
Protection work but it also presents coordination challenges. Key actors are now engaged in using multi-
sectoral approaches to Child Protection to streamline their efforts, enhance impact, avoid delays and
minimize duplication and other inefficiencies.

The first part of this course will focus on understanding the background, structure, roles and mandates
of each type of organization. Later, students will have opportunities to engage with practicing
professionals and their in-class colleagues to conceptualize and design new programs and policies.
Examples will be drawn from various countries and regions. They will include an examination of Child
Protection in the United States. There will be a focus on assessing programs and policies with a view to
the likelihood of support, logistical feasibility, and sustainability. Students will work with and across
departments, sectors and geographic regions on a range of contemporary global issues relevant to Child
Protection. The art of communicating across and within organizations for the development and
advancement of innovative, evidence-based programs and policies will be the capstone experience of
the course.

Child Protection in Theory and Practice introduces the foundational elements of Child Protection in
practice. It is aimed at both early-stage and mid-career professionals who seek to assume or continue
leadership or managerial roles in Child Protection organizations. There will be opportunities to interact
with senior Child Protection experts who have developed some of the world’s most influential
international and domestic Child Protection policy and led significant organizational and policy directives
to integrate Child Protection work over the last several decades.

This course is intended to complement GHP 553, which also occurs in Fall 2. Enrollment in Human Rights
Dilemmas in Child Protection is recommended, but not required for this course. The course is relevant
for students interested in Child Protection, public policy, international development and humanitarian
assistance, and social work, among other disciplines. There are no prerequisites to this course.

Please email the teaching assistant a short autobiography (maximum half page) outlining your reason
for taking this course, including any specific area of Child Protection that interests you. Please describe
your professional background and your perceived organizational strengths and weaknesses. This will
help us assign students to groups for the duration of the course.

Course Learning Objectives & Competencies

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Assess programs and policies including the analysis of likelihood of support, logistical feasibility,
and sustainability.
2. Communicate across and within organizations for the development and advancement of
innovative, evidence-based programs and policies.
3. Analyze quality research and evidence to effectively formulate and influence local and global
Child Protection programs and policies

Activities and Assignments

From the first day of class, students will work together on a scenario, either chosen from a list or
designed by the students themselves. Each scenario will require situation analysis, strategic planning,
cross-sectoral/cross-institutional partnership, and finally, planning for program implementation.
Students will be assigned to groups based on prior experience to encourage a diversity of experience in
each group. The final project will be a presentation to officials at an international organization. The final
session will be an unstructured Q&A with a high-level Child Protection professional.

Outcome Measures
Students taking the course for credit and auditors will be expected to attend all classes, cover all
required readings, and participate in class discussion. Grades will be based on class participation, oral
presentation and submission of the written analysis (15 pages, 1.5 spaced). The presentation and final
submission should be based on key concepts elaborated during the course. Details regarding the
assignments will be discussed in class. The written analysis will be due on the last day of class as noted
(see course schedule).
Class participation will be evaluated taking into account the student’s grasp of the assigned materials,
the responsiveness to in class questions posed by the instructor and the quality of contributions made to
in class discussions and debates. The oral presentation will be evaluated based on the lucidity, depth
and insight into the case presented. The written submission will be evaluated in terms of the strength of
the argument presented, the extent of relevant research undertaken, and the sophistication of the
analysis of the child protection challenge addressed. The final grade will be based on the following
components:
Class participation: 15%; oral presentation: 30%; document of policy/program proposal 55%.

Course Evaluations
Completion of the course evaluation is a requirement for each course. Students’ grades will not be
available until they submit the evaluation. In addition, registration for future terms will be blocked until
they have completed evaluations for courses in prior terms.

Readings
Required readings can be accessed online by enrolled students via the course iSite.

Useful Websites
 UNICEF – http://www.unicef.org/
 UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – www.ohchr.org
 OHCHR Universal Periodic Review (country reports) –
www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/upr/pages/uprmain.aspx
 US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices –
www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt
 UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – www.unhcr.org
 Health and Human Rights Resource Guide www.hhrguide.org
 UN Global Migration Group – www.globalmigrationgroup.org
 UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling -
www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html
  UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (GIFT) - www.ungift.org/knowledgehub
 Save the Children –
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm
 Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
childrenandarmedconflict.un.org
 Global ranking of country adherence to children's rights www.kidsrightsindex.org
 Global Protection Cluster – http://www.globalprotectioncluster.org/

Overview of Seminars
Session 1 3/27/15 Overview of Global Child Protection Organizations and Institutional
Relationships
Instructor: Susan Bissell

Session 2 4/03/15 Child Protection Policy in the United States: Overview of Structure and
Organizational Relationships
Instructor: Julie Boatright Wilson

Session 3 4/10/15 Child Protection Policy in the United States: Towards Evidence-Based
Social Policy for Children
Instructor: Julie Boatright Wilson

Session 4 4/17/15 Translating Policies into Programs: An Overview of Designing,

Organizing, Implementing and Monitoring Programs
Instructor: Susan Bissell
Project Check-In

Session 5 4/24/15 Implementing International Policy: Developing and Using Technical

Guidance; ‘Translating’ Conventions and Treaties to Implementing
Organizations
Instructor: Nigel Cantwell

Session 6 5/01/15 Targeted Investment of Resources and Effort: Creating Networks of

Capacity to Strengthen Families; Strengthening Institutions That Serve
Children
Instructor: Nigel Cantwell

Session 7 5/08/15 Presentations; Instructor Q&A

Moderated by: Jacqueline Bhabha
Panel participants: TBD
Written proposal due
Class Sessions
Each class will be conducted as a 3-hour seminar, with 1 or 2 breaks totaling 10-15 minutes.

1. Overview of Global Child Protection Organizations and Institutional Relationships March 27

This introductory session will explain the relationship among the major actors in Child Protection.
Private, local and community, public, national, regional and international institutions will all be situated
in clear terms with respect to their relationship to Child Protection.
The major issues that will be clarified include:
 The mandates of different Child Protection organizations (Who is responsible for what?)
 Organizations with specialized expertise and capacity for specific programming goals
 Organizational structure and relationships between United Nations agencies
 Interactions among Child Protection organizations to achieve results, including human rights
institutions, local, national, regional and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
national and local governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), bilateral governmental
development and humanitarian agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs), international
financial institutions (IFIs), other multilateral institutions, advocacy groups, and private
foundations

Readings:
 UNICEF. “UNICEF Child Protection Strategy.” Executive Board Annual Session 2008, 3-5 Jun 2008.
E/ICEF/2008/5/Rev.1
 UNICEF, UNHCR, Save the Children, and World Vision. A better Way to Protect ALL Children: The
Theory and Practice of Child Protection System, Conference Report, UNICEF 2013.
 UNICEF. Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action. UNICEF, New York: 2010.
 UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. “Championing Children’s Rights: A global study of
independent human rights institutions for children – summary report.” UNICEF, Florence: 2012.
 Global Protection Cluster (2012), “Information Note on the Global Protection Cluster”. Geneva:
UNHCR.

2. Child Protection Policy in the US: Overview of Structure & Organizational Relationships April 3

This session will give special attention to organizations working for the protection of children in the
United States. This includes those operating at state and federal levels, as well as private sector
organizations.

Readings:
 Peter J. Pecora, et al, The Child Welfare Challenge: Policy, Practice, and Research,” Third Edition,
Chapter 5: “Child Maltreatment Types, Rates and Reporting Procedures,” pp. 119-148.
 Malcolm Gladwell, “Million-Dollar Murray,” The New Yorker, Feb. 13 and 20, 2006, pages 96-
107. http://www.suburbancook.org/files/NewYorker_020606.pdf
 Eli Newberger, “The Helping Hand Strikes Again: Unintended Consequences of Child Abuse
Reporting,” Journal of Clinical Psychology (Vol. 12, No. 3), 1983, pp. 307-311. Find a link to this
article on the class web page. http://www.elinewberger.com/articles/archive/health-
policy/helpinghand.html This is an old, but classic, article describing the double-edged
challenges faced by poor families.
  Julie Wilson, “Reports and Investigations of Alleged Child Abuse and Neglect: Excerpts From One
Month of Reports at One Local Agency”, working manuscript, 1994, pp. 1 – 33. (We will scan
these and get you a copy.) (These should be optional readings; some are very painful.)
 Suniya S. Luthar, “Resilience in Development: A Synthesis of Research Across Five Decades,” in
D. Cicchetti and D. J. Cohen, eds. Developmental Psychopathology: Risk, Disorder, and
Adaptation, Volume 3, 2nd edition, ed. New York: Wiley.

3. Child Protection Policy in the United States: Towards Evidence-Based Social Policy for Children
April 10

This session will examine the design and effectiveness of governmental and community-based strategies
for supporting at-risk children. It will draw on recent research on the developmental needs of children
and youth and the impact of poverty on well-being as well as other literature and theory to identify the
components of best practice for prioritizing needs and improving living conditions for these children and
families. The latter part of the session will explore innovations in state agency practice and local
initiatives - how they began, how they evolved, and how effective they are.

Readings:
 National Academies Press, “Strategies for Scaling Effective Family-Focused Preventive
Interventions to Promote Children’s Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Health: Workshop
Summary,” http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18808 (Each student is allowed to
download a PDF for free)
 Isabelle Brantley and Manuela Carvalho Faria, “Scaling that Works: An Analysis of Successful
Propagation Strategies,” 2012. (Attached)

4. Translating Policies into Programs: An Overview of Designing, Organizing, Implementing and

Monitoring Programs April 17

This session will focus on strategic planning, with special attention to cross-sectoral/cross-institutional
partnerships. Students and the professors will also discuss the role of formal and traditional authorities
in community-based development work, which is not always sufficiently considered in international
development policy. The discussion will also examine the accountability of organizations to their
beneficiaries and stakeholders, including the rights and participation of populations in
designing/implementing programs and policies. The final component of the session will be a study of the
dichotomy of the influence of policy versus that of politics in designing and implementing successful
Child Protection programs and policies.

Readings:
 Wessells, M. “What Are We Learning About Protecting Children in the Community? An inter-
agency review of the evidence on community-based child protection mechanisms in
humanitarian and development settings,” 2009,
http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/What_We_Are_Learning_About_Protecting_Children_in_the_Co
mmunity_Full_Report.pdf
 UNICEF, Child Protection Resource Pack – How to Plan, Monitor and Evaluate Child Protection
Programmes. UNICEF, New York: 2014.
5. Implementing International Policy: Developing and Using Technical Guidance; ‘Translating’
Conventions and Treaties to Implementing Organizations April 24

This session will provide concrete tools for interpreting the intended meaning of international
instruments for relative uniformity of implementation. There will be a brief overview of the process for
developing and formalizing a treaty or convention, along with a description of various historical events
that have spurred new policymaking in Child Protection. Students will learn how to effectively advocate
for child rights in different contexts, particularly in situations where social or religious customs
contradict international law. The importance of building partnerships will be emphasized.

Readings:
 Majekodunmi, B (1999), Protection in Practice: protection of children’s rights in situations of
armed conflict – UNICEF experience in Burundi, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, available at:
http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/protection.pdf
 Woodhead, M. (2005), Early Childhood Development: A question of rights, International Journal
of Early Childhood, available at:
http://www.bernardvanleer.org/files/crc/4%20Martin_Woodhead.pdf
 Quennerstedt, A. (2013), Children’s Rights Research: Moving into the Future – Challenges on the
Way Forward, International Journal of Children’s Rights 21 (2013), pp. 233–247

6. Targeted Investment of Resources and Effort: Creating Networks of Capacity to Strengthen Families;
Strengthening Institutions That Serve Children May 1

This session explores the approaches taken to bolster Child Protection efforts. Organizational or
governmental programs that directly support families will be contrasted with programs that focus on
building institutional capacity.

Readings:
 Nussbaum, M. (2006), Frontiers of Justice. Disability, Nationality, Species Membership. The
Belknap Press of Harvard University. Chapter 5, pp 273-315 and especially p. 284 et seq.
 Gillian Mann (2012): Beyond war: ‘suffering’ among displaced Congolese children in Dar es
Salaam, Development in Practice, 22:4, 448-459
 Neil Howard (2012): Protecting children from trafficking in Benin: in need of politics and
participation, Development in Practice, 22:4, 460-472

7. Presentations; Instructor Q&A May 8

In this session, students will present their proposals in groups to a panel of invited Child Protection
experts. The latter half of the session will be devoted to a question and answer session where students
will have the opportunity to gain professional advice from the expert panel.

Suggested Topics for Final Presentation

Consider one of these violations of children’s rights. In groups, develop a long-term, strategic plan that
addresses the issue. Be sure to describe any cross sectoral or institutional partnerships, showing an
understanding of the constraints of the existing operational system, context, and prevailing norms and
customs. Justify the need for your policy or program initiative by referencing applicable international
law. Your proposal may take one of several forms, pending discussion with the instructor. Suitable
examples include: policy memo, concept note for new program, funding proposal, proposal for
organizational structuring.

If your group would like to address a problem that is not on this list, you may arrange to do so after
obtaining approval from the lead instructor, Professor Jacqueline Bhabha. The topic can be country-
specific or comparative.
 Indentured servitude and child-trafficking e.g. Haiti, Nepal
 Early/forced marriage e.g. India
 Discrimination in healthcare resulting in poor health outcomes for indigenous/native children
e.g. Latin America, the United States, Australia
 Criminalization of child prostitutes e.g. Serbia
 De facto detention of child asylum seekers e.g. facilities on Christmas island en route to
Australia
 Lack of mandatory reporting for child abuse e.g. Singapore
 Forced sterilization of intersex children e.g. United States
 Minimum age of employment lower than age of compulsory schooling e.g. Singapore
 Detention of indigent children/parents in hospital until payment for bill can be made e.g.
Burundi
 Absence of domestic violence law e.g. Algeria, Burkina Faso
 Child suicide/ self-inflicted injury in detention e.g. Argentina
 Uneven incarceration and sentencing for crimes based on race or ethnicity e.g. United States
 Female genital mutilation e.g. Egypt, Burkina Faso
 Insecurity in girls’ education as a result of terrorists acting with impunity e.g. northern Nigeria
 Denial of education to ethnic minorities e.g. Roma in Europe, Palestinians in Occupied
Palestinian Territory
 Child sexual abuse in religious institutions e.g. the Holy See
 Arbitrary arrest and detention of children e.g. Tibetan Buddhist children in China
 De facto ban on international adoption after becoming party to the Hague Convention e.g.
Bolivia

Reading & Media List

 Sedletzki, Vanessa. Championing Children’s Rights: A global study of independent human rights
institutions for children. UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, 2013. http://www.unicef-
irc.org/publications/669
 Skelton, A. “Reforming Child Law in South Africa: Budgeting and Implementation Plan.”
Innocenti Research Centre 2009 (Reprint)
http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/reformingchildlaw_reprint.pdf
 Charles Bruner, “Financing and Outcomes Accountability in Child Welfare: An Assessment of the
State of Field.” Occasional Paper Series #24, July, 2000. http://one.center-school.org/search-
document-detail.php?ID=598
 Hargreaves, Margaret, “Evaluating System Change: A Planning Guide,” Mathematica Policy
Research, April, 2010. http://www.mathematica-
mpr.com/publications/PDFs/health/eval_system_change_methodbr.pdf
 Rutledge Q. Hutson, “Providing Comprehensive, Integrated Social Services to Vulnerable
Children and Families: Are There Legal Barriers at the Federal Level to Moving Forward?” Center
 for Law and Social Policy; February, 2004.
http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/0170.pdf
 Sheila R. Zedlowski, Pamela Holcomb, and Pamela Loprest, “Hard-to-Employ Parents: A Review
of Their Characteristics and the Programs Designed to Serve Their Needs,” The Urban Institute,
Low-Income Working Families, Paper 9, June 2007,
http://www.urban.org/publications/411504.html
 Medrano T, Tabben-Toussaint A. Manual 3: Becoming a safe organization for children; FHI 360
child protection toolkit. Research Triangle Park, NC: FHI 360; 2012
http://www.fhi360.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/becoming-safe-organization-
children.pdf
 Cantwell, N.; Davidson, J.; Elsley, S.; Milligan, I.; Quinn, N. (2012). Moving Forward:
Implementing the ‘Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children’. UK: Centre for Excellence for
Looked After Children in Scotland.
http://www.alternativecareguidelines.org/Portals/46/Moving-forward/Moving-forward-
implementing-the-guidelines-ENG.pdf
 Majekodunmi, B (1999), Protection in Practice: protection of children’s rights in situations of
armed conflict – UNICEF experience in Burundi, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, available at:
http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/protection.pdf
 Woodhead, M. (2005), Early Childhood Development: a question of rights, International Journal
of Early Childhood, available at:
http://www.bernardvanleer.org/files/crc/4%20Martin_Woodhead.pdf
Quennerstedt, A. (2013), Children’s Rights Research: Moving into the Future – Challenges on the
Way Forward, International Journal of Children’s Rights 21 (2013), pp. 233–247
 Nussbaum, M. (2006), Frontiers of Justice. Disability, Nationality, Species Membership. The
Belknap Press of Harvard University. Chapter 5, pp 273-315 and especially p. 284 et seq.
 Gillian Mann (2012): Beyond war: ‘suffering’ among displaced Congolese children in Dar es
Salaam, Development in Practice, 22:4, 448-459
 Neil Howard (2012): Protecting children from trafficking in Benin: in need of politics and
participation, Development in Practice, 22:4, 460-472
 Elizabeth Cooper (2012): Following the law, but losing the spirit of child protection in Kenya,
Development in Practice, 22:4, 486-497
 Gina Crivello & Nardos Chuta (2012): Rethinking orphanhood and vulnerability in Ethiopia,
Development in Practice, 22:4, 536-548
 ICVA (2013), NGO Coordination Guide, Version 1.0. Geneva: International Council of Voluntary
Agencies. Pages: 8-16; 18-19.
 Harvey, P. (2009), “Towards good humanitarian government: The role of the affected state in
disaster response. London: Overseas Development Institute.
http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/4196-good-humanitarian-government-affected-state-
disaster-response.
 General Assembly Resolution ‘Strengthening the Coordination of Humanitarian Emergency
Assistance of the United Nations’ UN Doc A/RES/46/182, 78th plenary meeting, 19 December
1991.