CANADA

Two training workshops were held this year. They covered the country's territorial policy, local systems for handling cases involving children, and the country's legal framework respecting child protection

2 cities: Rabat and Fez

More than 750 people received training (in-person and online delivery)

Law Enforcement Officers Sent On Peace Mission Around The World

Every year, dozens of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers are sent on United Nations peacekeeping missions to participate in peace-support operations in countries experiencing conflict. They join tens of thousands of Blue Helmets deployed in unstable countries to protect the population, including children. Since 2011, the IBCR has assisted with pre-departure training for these professionals, providing the officers with training on child protection in situations of conflict, as well as practical tools and handbooks that they can carry with them while deployed. As a result, the officers know how to respond in situations involving children, and how to make sure child rights are upheld in all circumstances. This year, an additional training module was added, covering the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers.

5 training sessions given this year, amounting to more than 50 hours of class time

68 people trained and prepared for deployment in the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Haiti, Mali, Ukraine, the occupied Palestinian territories and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as members of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research

Worldwide

STRENGTHENING CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES THROUGH COMPETENCY-BUILDING

One of the key challenges in child protection is determining how to optimise procedures and workflows so that child rights are safeguarded, while also complying with organisational, financial and political constraints. For many years, the IBCR has been promoting a competency-based approach as a means of overcoming this challenge and ensuring that all professionals, service units and departments involved in child protection are able to fulfil their duties effectively and in a manner that is respectful of children's rights.

In October 2021, the IBCR organised a global consultation, with support from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, to discuss this approach and how it can be used in child protection services. During the five-day meeting, participants engaged in working sessions to share their experiences and list the different ways the competency-based approach might be used. They also discussed the various factors that need to be taken into account in order for the approach to be effective and used over the long term. The results of these work sessions were summarised in a practical guide. With this document, any organisation, division, department or team can review its processes, from recruitment efforts to budget management, as well as its procedures and professional development courses through the lens of the competency-based approach.

This guide is now available at no cost in French, English and Spanish. It is available on the IBCR website: www.ibcr.org/ publications

Roadmaps with concrete ways to integrate the competency-based approach into national policies and strategies developed for 8 African countries

More than 40 people from 17 countries participated in the working sessions

The consultation was held in French and English

Sessions were held online and in person in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Consultation conducted with the financial support of the Organisation internationale de la francophonie (OIF)

[…] This report [proposes] concrete actions that managers and leaders of protection services can take to enable children to effectively exercise their rights anywhere in the world and under any circumstances.

For more than 10 years, the IBCR has been holding consultations with hundreds of experts from all continents on how to strengthen child services around the world. This has led to the definition of core competencies in child protection for defence and security forces (2011), social services workers (2017), justice personnel (2019), and people working with children deprived of their liberty (2020).

Core competencies are collected in dedicated guides, available on the Bureau's website: www.ibcr.org/publications.