SOCIAL JUSTICE AND CHILD PROTECTION AOTEAROA

ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE AND CHILD PROTECTION AOTEAROA

The social justice and child protection research network Aotearoa aims to identify, understand and address inequities in the child protection system. These include (but are not limited to) those relating to Te Tiriti and colonisation, class, ethnicity, disability, gender, age and location, as well as issues relating to fairness such as decision-making, participation, accountability and practice. 

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The network is run by four co-directors across three universities, and is hosted at the University of Otago | the Whare Wānanga o Otāgo. It has a diverse advisory group and is open to researchers, academics, educators, policymakers, practitioners and people with lived experience of the child protection system. By encouraging scholarly debate and providing the platform for building strong research teams, our aim is to contribute to better understanding the inequities embedded in our systems, and improving the lives of children and their whānau. While our focus is on Aotearoa New Zealand, people from other countries are welcome to join the conversation.

The network's main focus is research, but this is defined broadly, with a strong emphasis on collaboration across disciplines and social impact. If you would like to join, submit the online form below or email socialwork@otago.ac.nz. Nau mai, haere mai!