Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital champions child rights through a new "Child rights toolbox"
A collaboration across continents
Between 2022 and 2025, a dedicated international partnership, funded by Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD), brought together Astrid Lindgrens childrens hospital, Region Stockholm and local stakeholders in Jinja City, Uganda.
Through engagement with partner organisations such as Busoga Health Forum and Paediatric Health Initiative (PHI), the collaboration worked to enhance child protection, participation and access to quality care within healthcare, education and community settings. The result is the Child Rights Toolbox – developed to be applicable beyond Sweden, adapted for diverse cultural and societal contexts.
What is the Child Rights Toolbox?
The Toolbox provides a step-by-step guide for training staff as child-rights ambassadors, inspired by practices at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital. These ambassadors drive change by promoting child-centered principles within their institutions.
Based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the guide combines theoretical frameworks with practical tools to strengthen children's rights to safety, health, development, participation, and influence. The goal is to integrate child-rights perspectives sustainably into routine care, policy, and institutional culture.
Global launch and strong interest
This autumn, the Toolbox was formally presented at an international conference in Nairobi, organized by ICLD, receiving positive feedback from health and social-care organizations. Many participants expressed interest in adopting the model in their countries, with several Ugandan institutions planning to train staff as child-rights ambassadors.
“It feels fantastic that the child-rights work we do can serve as a model for other countries,” said Charlotte Elf, Head of Pedagogical Resource Centre at Karolinska University Hospital and project leader for the toolbox.
The enthusiasm shown, especially by partners in Uganda, underscores the universal relevance of child-centred care.
Embedding child rights into global health practice
Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital exemplifies the value of combining high-quality care with respect for children's rights by translating the Convention on the Rights of the Child into actionable steps for healthcare, education, and municipal actors globally. The Toolbox offers healthcare workers worldwide a framework and inspiration to rethink care practices through child empowerment.
Access and invitation
The Child Rights Toolbox is freely available for download in both English and Swedish via ICLD’s website. Hospitals, clinics, schools, municipalities and organisations working with children and youth are invited to explore the resource, adapt the model, and begin training child-rights ambassadors in their own context.
“By elevating children’s own voices, we can make care more just, safe and inclusive, for those who need it most", says Charlotte Elf.