About the project

 

Children First addresses what factors and dynamics have supported Nordic children, families, schools and societies to respond to and recover from the pandemic and what changes in policies, political guidance or resource allocation are needed to support systemic resilience for future challenges.

The project has three main objectives, which are investigated more detail through four work packages:

  • Objective 1: Understanding the consequences of the pandemic regarding the living conditions, educational outcomes and well-being of vulnerable children and young people.
  • Objective 2: Mapping social policy responses and analysing their effects on children and young people to strengthen societal crisis management and preparation in the Nordic countries.
  • Objective 3: Examining how to build resilient societies to protect children and young people in the Nordic countries and beyond.

 

These objectives are intertwined, and they are addressed through complementary perspectives across four work packages (WPs).

  • WP-1 Living conditions and well-being of families and children
    • WP leaders: Markus Jäntti and Mikko Niemelä
    • WP 1 will take a comparative approach to understand the trends and drivers in the economic and subjective wellbeing of children and young people in order to highlight the impact of the COVID-19 across European countries.
  • WP-2 Policies promoting protection and resilience among children in Nordic countries
    • WP leaders: Mikael Nygård and Guðný Björk Eydal
    • WP 2 will provide results in how policies have protected children and their rights during the crisis in order to enhance resilience and protect vulnerable groups in the society, and to develop policies to promote children wellbeing in the future.
  • WP-3 Well-being, learning and education
    • WP leaders: Elina Kilpi-Jakonen and David Reimer
    • WP will uncover changes in inequalities and vulnerabilities and identify how wellbeing is associated with not only learning outcomes but also longer-term educational prospects in terms of educational expectations and transitions.
  • WP-4 Screening and supporting mental health
    • WP leaders: Kirsi Peltonen and Jonathan Hall
    • WP will develop a screening tool to integrate the cognitive, social-and mental health aspects in a new way in order to gain the comprehensive picture of child’s capacity to function at school during and after the crisis.