Family Policy Symposium: Child Well-being in Qatar

Building on the success of DIFI’s International Conference on “Parenting, Child Wellbeing and Development”, which was organized in partnership with UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Regional Office on 23-24 October 2018; and in support of and in alignment with Qatar’s National Development Strategy (QNDS) 2017-2022, which aspires to promote the well-being of children and their families, DIFI is organizing a one-day event on “Child Well-being in Qatar: Evidence and Policy Debates” on 2 October 2019 in Doha, Qatar. The event will be in collaboration with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs and UNICEF in the Gulf.

Objectives

• Develop an action-based approach to improving policy and programs regarding children in Qatar.
• Bring together service providers, practitioners, researchers and policy-makers to discuss and debate child well-being in Qatar.

Structure
This event is envisioned as an opportunity for the academic, policy and practice communities to engage with the important topic of child well-being in Qatar. This is timely due to the increased awareness and interest of practitioners, researchers and policy makers at the national, regional and global level in understanding children’s physical, mental, social, emotional, cognitive, spiritual and cultural well-being. It will explore policies and programs that address a range of aspects including early childhood, child development, safety, social relationships, psychological and cognitive well-being, empowerment and agency, as well as their synergy in examining children’s well-being.

The event will contribute to enhancing knowledge and capacities to engage with the national policy agenda for the wellbeing of children and their families. It will help unpack and explore new and improved national policy ideas and solutions to complex issues affecting children and their families. Specifically, the event aims to advocate for the positive role of parents in child well-being and promote family-centered practices.

The event topics will be clustered around three discussion points, across three specific areas related to child wellbeing: Education, Health and Protection:

• What are the achievements with regards to child wellbeing at schools, child health, and protection from abuse and neglect?
• What are the challenges of achieving child well-being in schools, using a child health and protection lens?
• How can research shape policy and practice, and what are the key policy recommendations for promoting positive wellbeing among children in Qatar?
• The way forward.

Tentative Agenda
Please click here

Presentations
Ms. Ghadah Haddad

Ms. Heba AlFarra

Mr. Rashid AlBlushi