Improving children’s education

Conference poster

A three-day international conference aimed at enhancing collaborative working amongst professionals in child education, training, social work, voluntary work, government and academia will be held at Aberystwyth University on 27th - 29th June.

Organised by the University’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning, the conference will include contributions by experts from around the world with more than 70 papers presented over the three days.

Countries represented will include England, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Belarus, The Netherlands, Finland, China, Sweden, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Portugal, New Zeland, Greece, Scotland and Wales.

The conference ‘A Child's World - Working Together for a Better Future’ has been devised to set new concepts in collaborative practice in childhood studies against social, legislative and organisational changes within an international strategic dimension.

Dr Malcolm Thomas, Director of the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at the University, explains; “In childhood studies, a global reduction in government funding coupled with increases in legislative oversight and organisational change, has increased pressure on resources and is driving the need for innovative working practices and development of integrated collaborative working.

“The conference will draw on good examples of collaborative working both nationally and internationally. The underpinning theme is one of the social, economic and wellbeing advantages of inclusiveness.”

Key speakers will include the Welsh Government’s Minister for Education and Skills, Leighton Andrews, Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler, Estyn’s Chief Inspector, Ann Keane, Professor Jouni Välijärvi from the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland and Eifion Evans, Director of Education at Ceredigion County Council.

Focused primarily at an educational research and professional audience, the findings will be relevant across a range of disciplines, including governmental policy formulation, social care and operational delivery of public services.

AU20712

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