Know Your Rights in Care: A creative arts project with children in care

Renumeration: The fixed sum available to the Creative Lead is €11,125. This is a day rate of €250 for a total of 44.5 days. Other expenses related to the project will be administered by EPIC.

Deadline for applications: 5pm, Friday, 13th September 2024

Project Overview

EPIC, Empowering People in Care, is seeking a Creative Lead for a participative project with children and young people in care. The project will allow them to explore their rights and develop innovative ways to communicate children’s rights while in care, resulting in an exhibition and launch of print and digital resources for care-experienced children and young people across Ireland.

The project process, which will involve facilitated creative workshops that explore children in care’s rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), will grow the knowledge and capacity of the care-experienced co-creators, and empower them with the skills to design, implement and lead on a creative educational project that will result in a national campaign. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) fund this project, and it will be implemented by EPIC.

Background Information

EPIC has 25 years of experience working with children in alternative care (foster care, residential care, special care), and we know that they are determined, resilient, and talented young people, who have overcome circumstances many people will never experience. However, some children in care are deeply impacted by the powerlessness they can experience during their care journeys, the sense that their voices aren’t heard or considered in decision making about their care, and the lack of agency and autonomy that results from this.

The care-experienced children and young people with whom EPIC works are clear that the key to overcoming these challenges is empowerment: to know and understand their rights, to develop skills to use their voices to self-advocate, and by developing projects that educate care-experienced children and young people, professionals, and the public.

Knowing their rights empowers care-experienced children and young people to make informed decisions, challenge discrimination, and equips them for the future.

Project Description

With the Creative Lead, EPIC will hold a series of facilitated creative workshops designed to deliver human rights education, while simultaneously harnessing the artistic talents of children in care to develop resources for others care-experienced children and young people on their rights. Throughout the project, co-creators from the under 18s EPIC Care Community will have the opportunity to explore their knowledge of human rights, and express their experiences, aspirations, and challenges through various artistic mediums, fostering a sense of community, empowerment, and self-expression.

Project Phases

The successful candidate will work with EPIC’s youth engagement and participation (YEP) team and communications team to agree the parameters of the project process, map existing resources, and identify members for the Project Advisory Group. They will also meet with EPIC Youth Council members for an exploratory session with young people who have left care.

Sessions 1-2: Building the Project Team

The project will begin with a relationship building programme designed by EPIC’s YEP team, an introduction to the UNCRC, and a knowledge exchange on the importance of children’s rights. Activities will include engaging ice-breaking sessions, facilitated group discussions on how to work as a project team, and a collaborative brainstorming session to explore artistic mediums that can be used in the creative workshops.

Session 3: Learning from the Experts

Participants will do a children’s rights training workshop with the Ombudsperson for Children’s Office.

Sessions 4-12: Examining the UNCRC

In the creative workshops, the co-creators will brainstorm the UNCRC Articles most relevant, and which resonate particularly with them and with children in care. The Creative Lead will conduct interactive sessions exploring themes that arise and will work with participants to find innovative and relatable ways to communicate their rights. The final session will map where responsibility for children’s rights lies in Ireland and what supports are there for children. Children and young people will be encouraged to identify professionals, services and supports around Ireland that work to uphold their rights and entitlements throughout their care journey, including social workers, teachers, foster carers, sports coaches, EPIC Advocates, and others – “it takes a village to raise a child.”

Project Post-production: Printed resource compilation

The creative lead will work on the artwork production, bringing the creative outputs and dialogue from each workshop together. With support from the EPIC communications team, the outputs will include an exhibition, printed resource, and a digital campaign. All items developed will be reviewed by the Project Advisory Group, partners, and project team before launching.

Launch: Exhibition, new printed resource, and national campaign

EPIC and DCEDIY will host a showcase event that provides a platform for the children that participate in the project to share their reflections on children’s rights and the creative resources they have developed. This showcase may include presentations, art, performances, and interactive sessions – this will depend on the direction the care-experienced co-creators take. The showcase event will also launch the print and digital resources developed for the national awareness raising campaign.

Deliverables

• Desk research to inform creative workshops and approaches with focus on children’s rights and participative processes.
• Work with EPIC to identify members for the Project Advisory Group with EPIC. Members of the over 18s EPIC Youth Council will also sit on the Advisory Group.
• Creative workshop development and facilitation with support from EPIC’s YEP team.
• Scriptwriting and storyboarding for the final printed resource.
• Visual artwork that can be utilised for a digital campaign which will be developed by EPIC’s communications team.
• Creation of an exhibition to showcase the project outputs, process, and the voices of the co-creators, with the support of EPIC’s communications team.
• Attend Project meetings as required.

Timeline

Due to the nature of participative projects, flexibility will be a requirement. We hope to begin work on the project in October, and complete by March or April of 2025.

• Session 1 and 2: Building the Project Team – October 2024
• Session 3: Learning from the Experts – October 2024
• Session 4-12: Examining the UNCRC – November 2024 – February 2025
• Session 14 and 15: Printed resource compilation – March 2025
• Launch of exhibition and national campaign – April 2025

Skills and Expertise

• Proven ability to develop and implement participative creative projects in a related area.
• Experienced in facilitation and assimilating group work into clear workable outputs.
• Ability to present the voice of the child in creative ways.
• Commitment to work in partnership with EPIC and key stakeholders.
• Experience of working in the children’s rights or youth work sector would be an advantage.
• Experience of collaborating with vulnerable communities would be an advantage.
• Applications from creative teams are welcome.

Terms and Conditions

• EPIC, Empowering People in Care believes in the value of diversity and encourages applications from people from all ethnic, cultural, religious, and social backgrounds. We also welcome candidates with experience of the care system.
• This role is subject to Garda Vetting and the successful candidate must adhere to EPIC’s child safeguarding and child and youth protection policies.
• EPIC will own all intellectual property rights.