Research Around the World

Week 5: Blog

Some of the current international topics on the Early Childhood Australia site are on children’s rights.  I thought considering our research topics this might be interesting to review.  (earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/)

Children’s rights-UN Convention (CROC)

What is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC)? 
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC) is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. It is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights. United States

Convention on the Rights of the Child - a plain-English summary 
A plain-English summary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. United States

The Convention on the Rights of the Child in languages other than English 
CROC in seventeen languages other than English, including Chinese, Arabic, Italian, French, Spanish and Turkish. Belgium

The best interest of the child as set out in CROC 
The principle of the best interests of the child is set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The article includes which actions are affected and whose actions are covered and what might be included in the concept of the best interests of the child. Australia

Myths and facts concerning the Convention on the Rights of the Child 
Four primary myths exist about CROC, including that CROC interferes with Australia's sovereignty, with the balance between the commonwealth and state governments, with parent's rights; that it is anti-family; and that CROC is unnecessary in the Australian context. Australia

 

I also thought it was interesting to gain insights into this site’s specific interests in early childhood:

ECA's Early Years of School Network

ECA advocates for the best interests of all children from birth to eight years of age, which includes children in the early years of school education. Many of our members work in primary schools, education departments and in roles facilitating children to transition into school from preschool or early learning services (long day care and family day care) but there is a sense that ECA could be doing more in this area.

In response to strong interest across the country we are establishing the ‘Early Years of School Network’ to connect people with a shared interest and strengthen our profile. Our ECA WA President, Jenny Jay (Associate Professor for Early Childhood Studies, Curtin University) will lead the network. Participation will provide members with an opportunity to keep up-to-date and engage with other professionals working with children in the early years of school. It will also inform the work of ECA, including the development of submissions, publications and events. In addition to ECA's submission to the Review of the Australian Curriculum above, some examples of recent activities include:

·         The ECA WA Branch has recently developed, in collaboration with three partners, a submission to the WA Department of Education on pedagogy in the early years of school

·         The ECA Tas Branch will be hosting a joint event in September with Early Childhood Educators Tasmania

·         ECA publications is planning a special edition of Every Child in July, 2014 on transition to school and will be seeking input and article suggestions.

The Early Years of School Network will operate on the LinkedIn platform. To join the network:

1.        If you already have a LinkedIn profile, click here and send a request to ‘join group’. Once approved, you can access the site anytime to find information and/or join the discussion.

2.        If you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile you will need to establish one first. There is no cost, just visit www.linkedin.com, set up a profile and then search for the ‘ECA Early Years of School Network’. You can also add ECA and individual colleagues to your network.

 

In keeping with the spirit of our research, I also thought this topic was appropriate for us as professional: 

 

III. In relation to the conduct of research, I will:

 

1.        Recognise that research includes my routine documentation and investigations of children's learning and development, as well as more formal research projects undertaken with and by external bodies.

2.        Be responsive to children's participation in research, negotiating their involvement taking account of matters such as safety, fatigue, privacy and their interest.

3.        Support research to strengthen and expand the knowledge base of early childhood, and where possible, initiate, contribute to, facilitate and disseminate such research.

4.        Make every effort to understand the purpose and value of proposed research projects and make informed decisions as to the participation of myself, colleagues, children, families and communities.

5.        Ensure research in which I am involved meets standard ethical procedures including informed consent, opportunity to withdraw and confidentiality.

6.        Ensure that images of children and other data are only collected with informed consent and are stored and utilised according to legislative and policy requirements.

7.        Represent the findings of all research accurately.