Tuning into Children: Their rights to be respected and protected

All children are vulnerable to the misuse of power used against them by adults and their peers. In the UK, children experience greater levels of abuse and neglect than what is officially reported, while worryingly, children who are at risk of harm can present as having no problems or concerns. This talk will explore the rights of the child and the support available to them. It will also focus on the role of parents, families, and the community in tuning into and listening to children’s voices and what this means for child protection professionals.

This talk explores the link between pupil-teacher relationships and secondary pupils who feel alienated from school. The research identified that alienated pupils frequently have difficult relationships with their teachers. The talk will explore this from the perspectives of both teachers and pupils. We will discuss how alienated pupils find it difficult to overcome negative experiences with their teachers and the implications of this. The talk concludes with some strategies to help repair negative relationships and reduce pupils’ feelings of alienation.