Sebda International Conference
Global Solutions to Working with Vulnerable Children and Young People
In September 2023 SEBDA organised an international conference at the University of Birmingham which was very successful and enjoyable. Its content was varied, informative and stimulating. It brought together practitioners and academics from a wide range of professional backgrounds and specialisms as well as from near and far geographically, all concerned to improve the experiences of this vulnerable group.
Do go to the drop down menu to find out more and be sure to book your place at our next conference.
Meanwhile, log in here as a SEBDA member and you will be able to view over 30 of the 2023 conference presentations.
Sharing international insights into the inclusion of socially and emotionally vulnerable children and young people.
Celebrating their resilience in surviving trauma, loss and displacement.
Context
- Globally, it is estimated that 1 in 7 (14%) 10-19 year-olds experience mental health conditions, yet these remain largely unrecognised and untreated. (WHO, 2021)
- Worldwide, about 36.5 million children had been displaced as consequence of conflict and violence as of the end of 2021(UNICEF, 2022)
- Nearly 3 in 4 children – or 300 million children – aged 2–4 years regularly suffer physical punishment and/or psychological violence at the hands of parents and caregivers (WHO 2022)
These are disturbing statistics but they are indicative of the complex, challenging and often traumatic experiences faced by children and young people around the world that can be either exacerbated by, or lead to, educational and social exclusion.
Our aims
At this conference we aimed to bring together practitioners and academics from around the world to:
- share and explore the difficulties encountered by socially and emotionally vulnerable children and young people in the current international context
- learn about research activities and evidenced based interventions from around the world that are informing our practice and improving or challenging the experiences of this vulnerable group.
- celebrate the successes and resilience of vulnerable CYP and those who work with them in overcoming the challenges presented by the current context
- hear about, and learn from, the lived experience of the CYP themselves as well as those who care for them.
Through Keynote presentations by experts in the field, the sharing of academic papers by researchers and practitioner workshops, we explored, in relation to children and young people of all ages, such themes as
- Mental Health
- Displacement
- The lived experience
- Inclusion
We are so grateful to the very many presenters, both practitioners and academics, who attended the conference. They shared their inspiring work to improve the outcomes for vulnerable children and young people across the world. Here are just some of them in action….
