Principles and Themes
A number of important principles and themes are involved in working with children. From education and advocacy to church partnerships and biblical reflection, these principles can help your ministry to meet the holistic needs of children more effectively.
General
Coming Soon! - California Council of Churches
A practical guide for churches seeking to open a daycare center or after-school program, this manual provides a rationale, step-by-step instructions, and checklists. While it focuses primarily on the local context for California, USA, many of the tools will also be useful in other contexts. This is a useful resource for church leaders, educators, and program developers.
Transformational and Community Development
Mobilising the Community - Tearfund
A resource from Tearfund’s PILLARS series, Mobilising the Community was written by Isabel Carter. It is an easy-to-read, practical guide with step-by-step instructions and ideas for working within your community.
Education
Jobs for Life, A Manual for Ministry: Vocational Training for Children at Risk - Marion Derbyshire
Vocational training is essential for children and adolescents to prepare for jobs that will allow them to support their families and become productive members of society. This manual looks at four different vocational training projects in Africa and Asia to learn from their experiences, and addresses practical issues such as sharing the Gospel with children, administration of projects, and media issues. This manual is suitable for practitioners and project managers.
Education for All by 2015: Will We Make It? - UNESCO
UNESCO’s global monitoring report for 2008, Education for All by 2015: Will We Make It?, asks, “What education policies and programmes have been successful? What are the main challenges? How much aid is needed? Is aid being properly targeted?” This resource is suitable for project managers, advocates, and undergraduate and graduate students.
Advocacy
An Introduction to Advocacy: Training Guide - Ritu R. Sharma
Useful for program managers, training institutions, and researchers, this training guide moves beyond definitions and explanations of advocacy to providing case studies, exercises, and practical information on how to identify, research, and deliver advocacy messages, how to work effectively with various groups, and how to raise funds and improve advocacy initiatives.
Understanding Advocacy - Tearfund
Practical Action in Advocacy - Tearfund
A two-part advocacy toolkit from Tearfund’s ROOTS series, these manuals were written by Graham Gordon. Understanding Advocacy discusses the meaning of advocacy and the biblical foundation for it, and Practical Action in Advocacy gives principles and tools to develop a strategy for advocacy within your organization. These resources are suitable for project managers, advocates, decision makers, administrators, and others involved in advocacy.
Holistic Child Development
Child Development Study Pack - Tearfund
This study pack, written by Paul Stephenson and Glenn Miles, outlines Tearfund’s framework for good practice and the key principles that are used throughout the Children at Risk Guidelines series. It also outlines the biblical basis for the framework and provides helpful case studies and reflection questions. Suitable for all levels.
Children’s Rights
What’s the Difference? Implications of a Child-focus in Rights-based Programming - Gerison Lansdown for Save the Children UK
This article draws on the experience of Save the Children in child rights programming and highlights some of the challenges that need to be addressed in applying rights-based approaches to work with children. After providing an overview of rights-based approaches to programming, including core dimensions and key principles, Lansdown discusses the implications of the approach when working with children, drawing out additional considerations due to the status and nature of childhood and the roles and responsibilities of adults.
Church Partnerships
Partnering with the Local Church - Tearfund
Written by Rachel Blackman, this ROOTS series resource looks at the relationships between organizations and local churches, then gives several different strategies for partnership and issues to think through when planning your approach. This resource is designed for organizations.
Children, Church and Mission
The 4/14 Window - Dan Brewster
Expanding on a concept that has gained momentum over the past decade, Dan Brewster discusses the strategic and ethical issues in Christian witness to children, specifically those that are in perhaps the most receptive age group of 4 to 14 (or 18) years of age. This article is appropriate for project managers, students, children’s ministry workers, church and mission leaders, and mission strategists.
Understanding God’s Heart for Children Biblical Framework - Viva
The focus of Viva’s International Cutting Edge in 2005, these seven affirmations trace the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation. Key issues in ministry with children are discussed, including creation, dignity, sin, family, community, nurture, society, justice, hope, church, the family of God, children’s participation, and mission. Suitable for all levels.
Spirituality and Spiritual Development
Coming Soon!
Theology of Suffering
Coming Soon!
Working with Youth
Coming Soon!
Violence, Abuse and Trauma
State of the World’s Street Children: Violence - Consortium for Street Children
Written by Sarah Thomas de Benítez, this report discusses violence among individuals, families, communities, and societies, and how these affect street children around the world. It also provides helpful statistics and facts. Suitable for project managers, undergraduate and graduate students, and others working with children who live on the streets.