The Joint Centre for Disaster Research of Massey University, New Zealand, home of IRDR’s International Centre of Excellence on Community Resilience and headed by IRDR SC Chair David Johnston, hosts a research workshop with Kevin Ronan from Central Queensland University and co-chair of the IRDR RIA sub-working group on Children and Youth.

Recent reviews of policy, practice and research, at both international and national levels, speaks to the role of child-centred practices in disaster risk reduction (DRR). At the international level, the Sendai Framework 2015-2030 speaks to the important role of both child protection and childparticipation in relation to DRR.

In planning for the post-2015 framework, education for children is being discussed as a central focus. Professor Ronan’s 3 year programme of research has begun in collaboration with the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre to elaborate a “research narrative” that speaks to building on research to date, while evaluating and solving problems not yet explored. These include issues related to the policy-practice-research nexus, including questions related to the effectiveness of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (DRR&R) initiatives and to implementation in both policy and education/practice contexts.

This 3 year programme of research has begun in collaboration with the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC to elaborate a research narrative that speaks to building on research to date, while evaluating and solving problems not yet explored. The workshop will explore the research narrative and underpinning issues across the policy-practice-research areas. This includes research supporting CC-DRR&R programmes as well as research that raises important questions linked to both effectiveness and implementation.