Keynote speakers

Marit Skivenes

Professor in political science

Marit Skivenes is a political science professor at department of Government at the University of Bergen and an internationally recognized researcher in child welfare, children's rights, and decision-making processes in child protection services. She leads several international research projects looking at how child welfare systems handle the best interests of children and how decisions about protection and care are made in practice. Skivenes has published a large body of research on the child welfare system, children's participation, rights, and government intervention in family life, and she's a key voice in international research in the field.

Henning Mohaupt

Researcher and specialist in clinical psychology

Henning Mohaupt is a specialist in clinical psychology, PhD, at Alternative to Violence (ATV), a treatment and competence center specialized in violence prevention and treatment. His research and clinical work focus on intimate partner violence, parenting, children's development, and the consequences of growing up with violence. Mohaupt has specifically researched fathers' caregiving, parenting in families affected by violence, and how violence impacts the relationships between parents and children. Mohaupt is also the author of the widely used book Violence and Parenting (Vold og foreldreskap, 2024), which has become an important resource for practitioners working with children, families, and violence. In addition, he has published several research articles on parenting, and the impact of violence on parent-child relationships.

Through his work, he combines research and clinical practice to develop knowledge on how children can be protected and how parents can be supported in creating safe environments for their children.

Niina Junttila

Professor in educational psychology

Niina Junttila is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Turku, Finland. Her research focuses on loneliness, ostracism, social relationships, belonging, participation, and the psychosocial well-being of children and young people. She leads the multidisciplinary Right to Belong research consortium (2022–2028), which develops research-based approaches to reducing children´s and adolescents´ loneliness and ostracism. She also serves as the co-PI for the EDUCA – Future of Education Flagship and to the EDUCA-doc Doctoral Education Pilot. In addition to scientific publications, Junttila has written and edited several books on loneliness, ostracism and human connection.

Alongside her academic work, Junttila contributes actively to national policy development on loneliness, social exclusion, belonging and participation. She is a member of the Finnish Parliament’s working group on reducing loneliness and ostracism and coordinates Participants’ Finland (Osallistujien Suomi), a long-term national programme aimed at strengthening participation, belonging and community across different sectors of society.

Eileen Munroe

Professor of social policy

Eileen Munro is a professor of social policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science and one of the most influential international researchers in child welfare. Her research has focused on risk assessment, decision-making, and professional judgment in child protection, as well as how organizational culture and management systems affect the quality of work with children and families. Munro is known for leading the groundbreaking Munro Review of Child Protection in England, which has had a big impact on developing more evidence-based and child-focused welfare services. Her work has helped increase understanding of how complex decisions can be made in an informed and thoughtful way in services that are meant to protect vulnerable children.