The CaixaProinfancia Observatory - Childhood, Vulnerability and Socio-educational Action - was created out of collaboration between ”la Caixa” Foundation and the Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports Sciences of Blanquerna School of Teachers (FPCEE) (Ramon Llull University - URL). The Observatory is a tool for analysing and studying the phenomenon of poverty and vulnerability among children and their families in Spain. It operates in the context of the CaixaProinfancia programme and works to analyse, define and foster a model of socio-educational action with this population that contributes to full implementation of the rights enshrined in the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Observatory is founded on a commitment to transfer scientific and research activity to society. Using this approach, it sets out to promote socio-educational action, social innovation and networking on a territorial basis together with public-private partnerships as a sustainable alternative to address the reality of children and adolescents in vulnerable situations and at risk of exclusion.
The Observatory's main purposes are to systematically study the information produced by the CaixaProinfancia programme, analyse the programme's results and improve its performance, understand the phenomenon of poverty and vulnerability among children and adolescents, build knowledge based on experience and promote innovation and good practices through social and educational actions related to young children and adolescents living in poverty.
As an added value, the Observatory offers the potential of a network in Spain made up of more than 400 organisations working with children at risk of exclusion and 14 Spanish universities, together with the collaboration of numerous town and city councils. The involvement of these players represents a valuable contribution both in terms of knowledge and experience derived from praxis as well as at the level of theoretical foundation.
