What is CRED-PRO?

CRED-PRO is intended to foster a critical mass of respect for children, their needs, their rights and their best interests among and through professionals who, by virtue of their expertise, leadership and acknowledged value, influence the lives of children, their families, and communities.

CRED-PRO is an international program of the International Institute for Child Rights and Development. Programs are active in Latin America, South/Central Eastern Europe, South Africa, Tanzania and Canada. New programs are in the planning and development stages in Southeast Asia and Europe.

To achieve its purpose, CRED-PRO is working to:

• produce a generic child rights foundational module, capable of adaptation to all relevant professions, and intended for adaptation to different cultural, economic and social environments;
• produce advanced child rights education specialty and theme modules to facilitate desired advances of professional fields;
• develop and implement strategies and systems for ensuring the implementation of child rights education for relevant professions at pre-service preparation and continuing education levels;
• share and implement the child rights education curricula-modules and programs through the creation of an interdependent network of educators, professionals, governmental, and child advocacy organizations dedicated to the improvement of children's lives;
• cooperate in the exploration and development of an accredited higher education, child rights doctoral curriculum program that can be implemented on a virtual, online basis; and
• establish a network of cooperative centers of child rights leadership and higher learning throughout the world.

How does CRED-PRO work?

CRED-PRO works as a catalyst and resource to encourage and facilitate both the development and sustained implementation of child rights education programmes for professionals.

The process is as important as the outcome. It involves the following steps:

1. In collaboration with leading experts at the international level, in the professions, in curriculum development and in child rights, we develop a core curriculum for a specific professional group;

2. We then seek professional interest at the national and regional levels. Through a primary partner, an advisory group of leaders from relevant and interested networks is established to adapt and amend the curricula to ensure relevance for the country or regional social, cultural and economic context;

3. Once the necessary adaptations have been made, the partner organises and runs a training of trainers to build a core group of ’champions’ familiar with and committed to the curriculum and child rights education;

4. The lead partner, together with the advisory group, interested networks and the ‘champions’, then develops a plan for achieving the incorporation of the curriculum into the pre- and/or in-service training of all professionals in that field in their country or region.

CRED-PRO’s role is to support, advise and provide guidance throughout this process.

Child Rights Education for Professionals (CRED-PRO) is an international initiative to improve the well-being, development and health of children throughout the world by infusing a child rights approach in all aspects of the professional services and policy applied to children and youth. Its fundamental orientation to children’s rights is embodied in the values, principles and standards of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Consistent with the spirit and nature of the Convention, CRED-PRO’s primary goal is to achieve understanding, respect and application of children’s rights as a way of professional life for all those working for and with children. Voluntary, respectful partnerships are central to CRED-PRO’s mission and values, pursued through working cooperatively with professions, higher education, civil society and government to make mutually valued advances in direct practices, community and systems programs, and advocacy influencing children’s quality of life.

The Oak Foundation

Bernard van Leer Foundation

Read the CRED-PRO Primer.

To view the CRED-PRO brochure, click here.

Read the CRED-PRO Annual Report to the CRC 2009-10 .