Children's rights v. press freedom - who wins?

:Tessa Jowell, MP Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport addresses the Quarriers Children's Rights Vs Press Freedom - who wins? conference on 11 November, at The Forum in Bath - the first in a series of events that will discuss some of the most contentious areas of social welfare.

Lynn Geldof, European Regional Communications Advisor for UNICEF will also make a keynote speech and ex BBC News correspondent Martin Bell will chair the Q & A session.

Lynn Geldof said: "The fact that this debate has to take place at all suggests something deeply unsettling about the media here and the society from which it springs. It suggests that this society is not sure it can and not convinced it needs to protect the rights of its young, its most vulnerable members.

What future then for the UK if it does not look to the best interests of its children?" ‘Quarriers at the Forum', will provide the opportunity for journalists, press officers and official bodies caring for children the chance to speak up about their opinions on press coverage of young people and the potential changes that should be made in the law to address the issues of inequality in representation of children in the media.

The conference, which is being run in conjunction with press ethics group MediaWise, incorporates input from members of the UK Youth Parliament; Mark Ivory, managing editor of Community Care; Glenn Del Medico, former legal adviser to the BBC; Bob Satchwell, director of the Society of Editors as well as Alan Critchley, private law development manager at CAFCASS.

Topics to be covered include identification of children in the media, legal proceedings and child protection. The conference will include two keynote speeches, three full panel debates and a substantive question and answer session with audience participation. There will be significant involvement of young people throughout the conference day.

Quarriers development manager David Niven said: "Press freedom and the representation of children in the media have increasingly become more complicated and contentious in recent years. Many people are concerned about the impact on children's rights. "Regulations controlling press freedom and the media exist, but the interpretation of these guidelines on press freedom seems to be constantly open to question and children's rights may not always be fully observed.

The conference will examine the issues and make recommendations that can take matters forward."

Quarriers provides support and care for adults and children with a physical or learning disability, for children and families facing poverty, family breakdown, exclusion and disadvantage and for young people with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties, or who are homeless.

Quarriers also offers support to carers of all ages who need respite, advice or just a friend to listen, it also has the only residential epilepsy assessment centre in Scotland. Quarriers has grown considerably since it was founded William Quarrier during the 1870s, expanding to meet the needs of children, adults and families all over Scotland - and beyond.

Quarriers more recently expanded its services in to England with the development of its services for children with disabilities. Staff numbers are now in excess of 1600 and the charity has an expected turnover of £35 million for 2005.

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information and to purchase tickets for the conference please contact Quarriers on Tel: 01225 339 913 or visit www.quarriersforum.net

Conference programme

9.00am Registration

9.30am Welcome speech - David Niven, Quarriers

9.45am Introduction keynote - Lynn Geldof and Mike Jempson

10.15am 1st Session - ‘Framing Children' - Identification and representation of children in the media

11.30am Coffee break

11.45am Keynote speech - Tessa Jowell MP

12.30am 2nd session - ‘Protecting children' - Should journalists cover all legal proceedings about young people?

1.00pm Lunch break - buffet provided

2.00pm 2nd session continued

2.30pm 3rd session - ‘Sinking the watershed' - can there be protective boundaries in the age of the internet?

3.45pm Coffee break

4.00pm Q & A session with Martin Bell

5.00pm Conclusions - David Niven, Quarriers