During April and May 2023, Dr. Mara Šimunović from Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences (Zagreb, Croatia) held three workshopson longitudinal and cohort Data intended for non-scientific users. The first workshop was held on April 13 for employees of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children. The workshop was attended by employees in the central office in Zagreb and by several employees from branches in Croatia who joined the workshop online.Since this organization deals with the protection and promotion of children's rights in Croatia, emphasis was placed on familiarizing the participants with longitudinal databases in Croatia and Europe that monitor various indicators of the well-being and socio-emotional development of children. At the workshop, there was a discussion about how the findings obtained from these databases can be implemented in the development of measures to build a system of protection and promotion of children's rights and to prevent harmful actions that threaten their interests.
The second workshop was held on May 15 for employees of the NGO "Hrabritelefon" (Brave Phone). “Brave Phone” is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation with the needs, rights and protection of children in Croatia at its heart. As well as offering a helpline for children and parents, “Brave Phone” supports families through several programmes based in schools, communities and online.The participants discussed how they can use longitudinal studies in lobbying for the development of public policies aimed at protecting the rights of children and in campaigning to raise public awareness of issues affecting children.
The third workshop was held on May 18 for employees of the City Office for Social Protection, Health, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities in Zagreb. The participants learned how to access and use longitudinal data in the creation of public policies of the City of Zagreb concerning the development of measures aimed at public health and the protection of vulnerable social groups such as children, the elderly population, women, and migrants.
