19 January to 27 April 2026
Postgraduate Course on Children’s Rights
POSTGRADUATE Education
An investment in the future
Presentation
The Postgraduate Course on Children’s Rights, offered by the Centre for Policy on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, will focus on the rights and interests of children from a legal perspective. The course takes a cross-cutting, multidisciplinary approach to the main issues raised in the field of children’s rights, 36 years after the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The four-month course is structured into five thematic modules which address various issues related to families and children. Alongside comprehensive legal analysis, the sessions will take a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to implement international, regional and national regulatory guidelines and address the most relevant issues affecting all children, particularly those in vulnerable situations.
The course includes three study visits to institutions that are particularly relevant in this field: the Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Family and Juvenile Court, and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (where participants will be welcomed at the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations and other international organisations).
This initiative aims to address a gap in this area of law and is therefore intended for lawyers (including recent graduates), magistrates and other professionals specialising in family and children’s issues. It is also open to senior managers and technical experts from various government and civil society organisations. Participants will receive comprehensive information and have the opportunity to reflect on and debate relevant issues concerning children’s rights.
Coordination
Aim of the course
This postgraduate course aims to:
- Identify the challenges posed by children’s rights.
- Promote interdisciplinary approaches to the practice of children’s rights.
- Clarify the legal issues raised by children’s rights, in theory and in practice.
- Provide participants with new tools to improve their performance.
Target audience
The course is aimed at lawyers, recent law graduates, magistrates, senior managers and technical staff from various areas of government and civil society, and other graduates and professionals working in the fields of family and children’s issues.
Language
Portuguese
Durantion
72 hours
Date
From 19 January to 27 April 2026
Schedule
After work (via Zoom): Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 18h00 to 20h00
ECTS
12
Method
Study visits (upon registration at the time of application): three study visits are planned during the postgraduate course:
- Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People.
- Family and Juvenile Court.
- Trip to Geneva to attend a Session of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child and reception of participants at the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations and other International Organisations (this trip is not included in the Postgraduate course fee).
Assessment
Participants can obtain a certificate of completion of the Postgraduate Course or just a certificate of attendance.
Participants who wish to obtain the PG certificate of completion will be assessed in two stages:
- At the end of each module, they will take a multiple-choice test on the subject covered that day;
- At the end of the Postgraduate Course, they must submit a reflection paper on one of the topics covered throughout the course.
Participants who only wish to obtain a certificate of attendance for the Postgraduate Course must attend at least 75% of the sessions.
Fee
- 1700€
- Early Bird price (until 9 December): 1445€
- NOVA School of Law alumni: 1530€
- 20% discount* for institutions that enrol 3 or 4 participants;
- 30% discount* for institutions that enrol 5 or more participants.
*Not cumulative with the Early Bird Price.
Teaching Staff
The teaching staff is multidisciplinary, comprising lecturers and researchers in the field of Family and Children’s Law, as well as lawyers, magistrates and other professionals with experience in this area and a recognised reputation and professional experience at national and international level.
Programme
This course will be taught in Portuguese.
Find out more about the programme here.