Students who have completed a 10-week module in ‘Support, help and intervention in International Child Protection’ at Kent’s Centre for Child Protection (CCP) have been reflecting on their experience of developing a critical understanding of international child protection practice.
This distance learning module attracts a broad range of professionals involved in child protection and is available to study part-time as a standalone module (beginning in February 2021). It’s also a popular choice with students studying CCP’s MA in Advanced Child Protection (beginning in January 2022).
Roger Dirkx began his studies with CCP in January 2019. He had already worked in several countries on child protection issues, but decided to pursue the MA in Advanced Child Protection to broaden his knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of child protection:
‘The module provides interesting insights on international laws and policies but also delves into issues like child refugees and migrants, child trafficking and exploitation and what that means for support and intervention models. It also became clear to me that much of the developments and discussions that take place in the UK shape international learning and thinking on child protection.
‘I learned a lot from the readings for this module and it pushed me to reflect on my own experiences and contexts that I worked in. This has really benefited my work as I am able to apply this learning when working with children and families and in more strategic work like managing child protection projects.
‘Through online discussions, I was also able to exchange experiences with my fellow students and engage in interesting discussions. I particularly enjoyed the written assignment where I was able to discuss ideas with my supervisor, bring together all the learning but also incorporate my own experiences. This degree was an intense and rewarding journey, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their knowledge on contemporary child protection theory and practice.’
Current MA Advanced Child Protection student Neil Matthews was keen to broaden his knowledge and chose to study this module because it was outside his comfort zone:
‘I found the module absolutely fascinating and if anything I did a bit too much research (not to impress, but the more I read the more I was interested).
‘I particularly enjoyed researching the non-governmental organisations (NGO’s) and quickly learned about and understood some of the benefits and unfairness of how NGO’s work in international settings. It was equally fascinating to learn about the influence of Western countries over countries in the Southern hemisphere.
‘I would commend this module to any student and would say not to be concerned, even if you know nothing about this area of practice, as you will be very well supported by the lecturing team and the likelihood is you may find there is an international student on the course who you could bounce ideas off. For me this was one of my favourite modules.’
MA Advanced Child Protection graduate Sindy Ho found the module to be “helpful and fruitful”:
‘It has deepened my understanding of international child protection law and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It has given me a key foundation on which to think, reflect and plan for cultural appropriate interventions in my coming practices. Every decision and intervention should be considered and made upon “every child in his/her living contexts” in order to fight for the best outcome of all children.’
MA Advanced Child Protection graduate Alessandra Tomirotti has been working as a child protection professional worldwide for many years:
‘Before starting this module I felt I lacked the necessary theoretical foundations that constitute child protection at international level. This knowledge gap was filled by this interesting module which helped me to rely on sound and updated scholarly work to deepen my knowledge and improve my practice in child protection through learning current challenges, debates, and issues pertaining the complexity and diversity of international child protection.
‘Via this module, I considerably increased my understanding around some of the most discussed protection issues affecting children across the world, such as child trafficking, child sexual exploitation, child soldiers, violence against children just to cite few. Through a variety of resources, including videos of renowned experts, articles, reports, and links to resourceful websites I was given the chance to explore each subject in-depth and gain valuable insights on how to apply knowledge into practice. Yet, I became stimulated to explore some of the issues further the more critical and knowledgeable I became. I am glad to have chosen this module and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who already works in this field or wishes to start a career in child protection at international level.’
The Centre for Child Protection (CCP), based at Kent’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, is an international centre of excellence and innovation in training, research and practice. You can book now via CCP’s online store to begin your studies of ‘Support, help and intervention in International Child Protection‘ as a standalone module in February. Standalone modules are equivalent to 20 credits at Master’s level and can contribute towards a PCert, PDip or MA in Advanced Child Protection (please note that to join the postgraduate programme, you need to meet our entry requirements: kent.ac.uk/pg/326).
For information about other standalone modules you can study with CCP, download CCP’s MA Standalone Modules leaflet.