Alexandrina Dimitrova is Executive Director of The Cedar Foundation – a Bulgarian NGO with 15 years of experience in deinstitutionalization and provision of quality social services to disadvantaged groups. Alexandrina leads a team of 100 employees and is responsible for the sustainable development of the organization, its advocacy activities, and diversified fundraising from corporate and individual donors. Under her lead, the foundation has expanded its activities by doubling the number of social services it manages, and currently provides 8 small group homes for children and young people, primarily with disabilities, and one social rehabilitation and integration center. For 5 years now, Alexandrina has been a co-chair of Bulgaria’s Expert Working Group on Deinstitutionalization together with the State Agency of Child Protection. She is also a presenter at forums dedicated to the deinstitutionalization reform in Bulgaria, and quality provision of social services.

Alexandrina has a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Sofia University and has completed a course in Political Science at the University of Missouri, USA with a scholarship from the Young Leaders of Bulgaria program. In 2015 she was chosen as one of the "40 under 40" leaders in Darik Radio project, and in 2018 was featured in Forbes Bulgaria "30 under 30" selection.

Licenciado em Gestão de Marketing e atualmente a tirar mestrado em Gestão Estratégica de Recursos Humanos

Institucionalizado desde o ano de 2000

Presidente do Grupo YoungExperts - Jovens com experiência em acolhimento, com preocupações nas questões dos direitos das crianças e jovens durante e após o acolhimento.

Membro fundador da AjudAjudar - Associação para a promoção dos direitos das crianças e jovens

Ana Cláudia Mendes Chasqueira has a bachelor degree in Health and Clinical Psychology by the ISPA and postgraduate in Advising and Behavioural and Cognitive Psycotherapy of children and adolecents in the APTCCi. She is a member of the Order of Portuguese Psychologists. She is certified and trained in the clinical practice of coursed ADI-R (Austism Diagnostic Interview-Revised) and ADOS 2 (Austism Diagbostic Observation Schedule).

She initiated in the Núcleo de Psicologia Pediátrica of the Pediatrics Department  in the Hospital Professor Doutor Fernando Fonseca and later contributed in the Psychiatric Service of Childhood and Adolescence in the Hospital Beatriz Ângelo and in the CADIn - Neurodevelopment and Inclusion. Now-a-days she integrates on the Center de Neurodesenvolvimento e comportamento da Criança e do Adolescente in the Hospital da Luz and the Belong - Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Saúde.

Her preferencial intervention areas are disorders of neurodevelopment, anxiety disorders (selective mutism, obsessive-compulsive disorder), humor disorders, tics and personality disorders.

Ana Filipa Beato has a bachelor degree in Clinical Psychology,  expertise in cognitive-behavioural by the Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra. Postgraduate and sexual therapist by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Sexologia clínica. Master in Psychology - Stress and well-being area by the Faculdade de Psicologia da Universidade de Lisboa. Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in the fields of anxiety disorders in childhood in the same institution. Her intervention fields are: evaluation and intervention with children and teenagers and their families in the core of short attention span and hyperactivity, humor and behavioural disorders. She is also co-responsible by the coordination of the core os sexology and education for sexuality of PIN, in which she clinical accompanies young people, adult and couples.

Social phycologist, Master in Criminal Phycology and deviant behaviour and doctorate in Education and Physiology by the Oviedo University.

Now he is author and coordinator of the First National Study about Well.being in the Portuguese Protection System promotion by the Health Ministry - The Directorate- General Health: National Program for Mental Health and by the Labour Ministry and Social Solidarity: CNPDCJ in continental Portugal and Autonomous Region of Madeira.

He began is professional career in 2001 with at risk and vulnerable population, by being the Technical Director of several residential Foster Homes in Portugal and the first Technical Director of Casa do Gaiato in Portugal.

He houses in his professional experience as specialist instructor ins the fields of social and personal competences; deviant behaviour psychology; adult live transition and residential fostering. He also is, in continental Portugal, Madeira and Azores technical supervisor of several Children and teenagers in danger foster homes.

He is (co)author and scientific coordinator of the Educational projects of Foster Homes in the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and Azores (52 foster homes) and 2 in Lisbon.

He is a guest professor in several Portuguese and foreign universities in the courses of childhood and youth at risk, deviant behaviours and emotional disorders. He houses also several national and international publications in the field of youth and childhood.

Carlos Silva Peixoto - Postgraduate in clinical and forensic psychology. Diversified professional experience, focusing on the field of childhood and youth, currently works at the National Commission for the Promotion of the Rights and the Protection of Children and Young People. Develops training and research in the fields of children's rights and protection.

Carmen Sánchez Hernández has a bachelor degree in law by the Universidad de Málaga (1990) and has the Premio Extraordinary de Licenciatura. She is doctorate in Law by the Universidad de Málaga (1995) and Full Professor of Civil Law (2000). She was coordinator of the masters degree of Mediation since the Academic Degree 2010/11 of the Faculdad de Derecho de la Universaidad de Málaga until 2015/2’16. Before she was the Academic Director of the degree of Mediation and Extrajudicial of conflicts in the Faculdad de Derecho de la Universidad de Málaga (Academic degree 2003/2004), Expert Title in Mediation (Academic degree 2004/2004); Master in Mediation (Academic degrees 2005/06; 2006/07; 2007/08; 2008/09). Research sections: 3 six-year periods. Faculty sections: 5 five-year periods. Stays in foreigns Investigations centres: Law School of Regensburg University (Germany); Law School of Colonia University (Germany); Law School of Phanteón-Assas University. Paris II (France) and Law school of Lisbon University (Portugal.

Celina Cláudio é formada em Serviço Social pelo Instituto Superior de Serviço Social do Porto. Desde 2003 que trabalha na Associação para a Educação e a Solidariedade, Mundos de Vida e exerce atualmente funções de Diretora Técnica do Serviço da Família, que integra os seguintes serviços: Serviço de Acolhimento Familiar para Crianças e Jovens, Casa de Acolhimento e CAFAP. É coordenadora da rede de trabalho Centro de Estudos Comparados da Criança em Família. Tem contribuído para variadas publicações na área do sistema de proteção de crianças e jovens.

Doctorate in Physical Activity and Health, FADEUP

Professor at Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer of Instituto Politécnicco de Viana de Castelo

Trainer, author and speaker in the areas of fitness, exercice, health and speacial populations and nutrition and sport supplementation. 

Cidália Silva (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Minho’s School of Architecture, Director of the PhD Program in Architecture and Integrated Research Member of Lab2PT (Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory at University of Minho), being Vice-coordinator of the LandS Group of this laboratory. She works with three interconnected approaches: since 2004, she has investigated the shift of the paradigm from the city to the expanded urban territory; in this framework, since 2007, she has pursued deeper focal research into the issues of Time and Uncertainty. Since 2017 she has been engaged in researching the role of children in the transformation of the contemporary urban space. In this context, she is the coordinator of the Project on Architecture and Urbanism of the ProChild CoLAB – a Portuguese nationwide consortium with a transdisciplinary approach dedicated to combatting poverty and social exclusion in children from 0 to 10 years old. Being an active participant in various interdisciplinary conferences, and having published in national and international journals, she is also the editor of The International Journal of the Constructed Environment.

• Assistente Hospitalar Graduada de Pediatria, UCIEP, Hospital Prof. Dr. Fernando Fonseca, EPE
• Sub-especialidade em Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos
• Sub-especialização em Ciências da Dor pela Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa (2009-2010)
• Formação especifica na área da dor pediátrica: Estágio (2 meses) na Unidade de Terapia Antálgica do Hospital Universitário de Pádua – Itália (2006); Estágio de observação (Fellow observation) no Serviço de Dor Pediátrica no Children’s Hospital Boston – Harvard University (1 mês, 2011); 4th Annual Pediatric Pain Master Class – Minneapolis 2011
• Criadora (2010) e coordenadora do Núcleo Contra a Dor do Departamento de Pediatria do Hospital Prof. Dr. Fernando Fonseca, EPE
• Responsável pela consulta de dor pediátrica do Hospital Prof. Dr. Fernando Fonseca, EPE
• Membro internacional do grupo de formação e investigação em dor pediátrica PICH – Pain in Child Health (Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research) (desde 2013)
• Coordenadora do Grupo de Trabalho Dor na Criança da APED - Associação Portuguesa Estudo Dor (desde dezembro 2016; membro desde 2012).
• Organização dos Workshops de Hipnose Pediátrica para Controlo da Dor e Ansiedade (4 edições desde 2015)
   

Research Centre for Anthropology and Health
Department of Life Sciences, FCTUC

University of Coimbra

Bachelor degree in Medicine by the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar da Universidade do Porto (1999 | 2005) 

Internship in the Pediatrics Immunology and Infectology Services in the Great North Chilren's Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyn, England (april | july 2011) 

Hospital Assistant in Medical Pediatrics, funcioning in the appointments of Pediatrics Immunology and Infectology in Centro Hospitalar Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho (CHVNG/E) since march 2012. 

Connecting link and enabling factor of the Local Coordinator Group of the Prevention and Infection Control and Resistence to antimicrobial Program (CGL-PPCIRA) in the Pediatrics Service in CHVNG/E. Member of  Direct Support of the Assistence of Prescription of antibiotics Program (PAPA) of the GCL-PPCIRA of the CHVNG/E. Member of the work group of Antimicrobial of support to the commission of Terapeutics and pharmacy of CHVNG/E. 

Voluntary professor in the curricular course of Pediatrics, 6th year of Integrated Master Degree of Medicine in the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto. 

Member of the board of the Sociedade de Infeciologia Pediatrica since 2013. 

Member of the commission of vaccination of SIP and SPP in the biennium 2013-2015 and 2015-2017. 

Presentation of scientific work in national and international congresses. Publication of scientific articles. Member of scientific societies. 

Técnica no Departamento de Desenvolvimento Social, Unidade de Infância e Juventude, Serviços Centrais do Instituto da Segurança Social, e Docente no Instituto Superior de Ciências Educativas, do Mestrado de Educação Social _ Intervenção com Crianças e Jovens em Risco.

Directora general d'Atenció a la Infància i l'Adolescència

Generalitat de Catalunya

Florence is an independent consultant in child protection and alternative care system reform. She has been involved in alternative care for 14 years, working predominantly in low- and middle-income countries. She founded Family-Based Solutions with a website as an awareness-raising platform.

Harriet Ward is Emeritus Professor of Child and Family Research at Loughborough University and Honorary Research Fellow at the Rees Centre, University of Oxford.

Harriet has over 30 years of experience both as a research director and field researcher, as an adviser to policymakers and service providers, and as a social work practitioner. She was academic adviser to the joint DH/DfE research initiative on safeguarding children and chaired the DfE working party on neglect. She has given invited expert evidence to parliamentary committees and inquiries on looked after children, child and family social work, child protection and foster care. She represents England on the Board of EUSARF (European Scientific Association on Residential and Family Care for Children and Adolescents), and is a founder member of the international network of research on transitions to adulthood from care (INTRAC). In 2019, with Fred Wulczyn and Jane Barlow,  she founded the International Network on Infants and Toddlers in Child Protection. She has a EUSARF lifetime achievement award and was awarded a CBE for services to children and families in 2012.

Harriet’s research interests focus on the relationship between the state and the family both now and in the past. Her research programme includes: the construction and piloting of a methodology for assessing the outcomes of local authority care (the Looking After Children Project); studies of the relationship between costs and outcomes in children’s services; an empirical study of the experiences of children who entered the Waifs and Strays Society (Children’s Society) in the nineteenth century; and an eight year prospective longitudinal study of children identified in infancy as likely to suffer significant harm. She is currently working on a major study (with Barnardo’s Australia) of the outcomes of open adoption in New South Wales, and (with colleagues from Lancaster University) on the development of national guidelines aimed at improving practice concerning parent/infant removal in the first few days of life. Findings from Harriet’s research programme have underpinned developments in policy and practice concerning child protection, children in care and adoption in the UK, the USA, Australia and several European countries.

Pediatrics, Local Unit of Health Alto Minho, EPE. Lecturer on the School of Health Sciencies of Minho; Trainer of Pediatric's Life Advanced Support, by theEuropean Ressuscitation Council. Member of the the board of Portuguese Society of Adolescence Medicine and author of the books  “Pediatra para Todos” and “Primeiros Socorros - Bebés e Crianças”. Author of the blog and app for android “Pediatria para Todos”. Colaborator on the program  “A Tarde é Sua” on TVI and “Filhos e Cadilhos” on Porto Canal.  Colaborator of Visão magazine and Saúda magazine. 

Professora e Investigadora. Universidade de Aveiro

Vice Diretora da Licenciatura em Educação Básica