MORE ABOUT FORANDRINGSFABRIKKEN

Forandringsfabrikken (Changefactory) was established in 2004 with the simple idea that children have important knowledge and advice that the systems for children and the country need.  Changefactory wants to make the systems for children, better for them, by having them directly contribute. Through research, the Changefactory gathers knowledge from many children and youth, from the age of 2 to 22. The children com from all over the country, and are currently in or have recently been in systems that meet children. Like kindergarten, school, mental health services, child welfare services, the judicial systems and others. Through research Changefactory systematically collects children’s experience from the systems, and their advice for improving them. The experiences and advice that come from many children, many places in the country, are presented as the main findings.

The goal of Changefactory is that all the systems children meet feels safe and useful for them. The system should also meet all children in a way that ensures children’s rights to information, privacy, and their right to express their views freely, and thereafter uses the children’s views as fundamental elements when assessing what is in the best interest of the child, after the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

An idea worth spreading
– This means that the little Norwegian Changefactory becomes a product of export! It is great that all the hard work over several years is being noticed in Europe (…) However, for us, spreading the idea is most important: That all adults working in welfare services for children have the child as their closest collaborating partner, and not just other adults, says Fredrik, previous child protection pro in Changefactory. 

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS
In Portugal, an organization named Comparte is applying a change methodology developed by Changefactory in its activities and projects. Comparte mainly works in the area of education with young people, listening to their knowledge and advice to change and improve the system they are in. Changefactory and Comparte are closely working together to learn and exchange the best learning from each other and further develop methodology used for mapping projects.

The Dutch Youth Institute in The Netherlands is working with our Change methodology. They are going to publish and translate our knowledge from children and youth into their language. Changefactory has supported the Accelerating Change for Social Inclusion (ACSI) in Spain, project implementation at the municipality level by providing technical support in order to integrate children’s activities at the municipality level in Barcelona.

CHANGEFACTORY’S PROFESSIONALS (PROS)
The pros in Changefactory are children with experience from systems and help services in Norway. These are systems like school, mental health services, child welfare services, the judicial systems, and other support systems. We call them pros because they are pro at the systems they are in, or have currently been in. Anybody who wants to, can become a pro, and it is completely voluntary. 

Children have important knowledge the country must listen to when developing systems and making laws affecting children. This is knowledge that the implementers of the systems themselves do not have.  

As a pro, children change the systems and laws by presenting and explaining the main findings from Changefactory’s research. They participate in presentations and dialogues with students from universities, field professionals from the system they are in and the authorities. Sometimes findings are illustrated through examples from the pros’ life. 

The pros also explain how field professionals can use children’s four fundamental rights by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the overlap between knowledge from children and the convention.