Intern within the Children at Risk Unit at the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)

The Council of the Baltic Sea States

Deadline for applications: 2026-05-15, 23:59 CET

(to apply go to the end of the vacancy/page and click on "Apply")

The Permanent International Secretariat of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in Stockholm, Sweden is recruiting an intern to join the Children at Risk Unit team for a nine-month full-time internship starting in mid-September/beginning of October 2026 until 30 June 2027.

The CBSS Internship Programme Objectives:

  • To provide young graduate students from the Baltic Sea region with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the work of the CBSS as an international organisation.

  • To bring new ideas and perspectives to the CBSS and get access to the latest theoretical and technical knowledge that the intern can apply through practical and analytical work assignments.

  • To contribute to strengthening the Baltic Sea identity by engaging young professionals as identity builders and future leaders.

  • To expand knowledge and understanding of the work of the CBSS in its Member States and beyond.

The CBSS functions as a coordinator of a multitude of regional actors in the areas of its three long-term priorities: Regional Identity, Sustainable & Prosperous Region, Safe & Secure Region.

The Children at Risk Unit, EG CAR

The Expert Group on Children at Risk is a flagship priority under the CBSS Priority Area Safe and Secure Region. Following several years of preparatory work, the Ministers for Children’s Affairs in the Baltic Sea Region decided in October 2001 to establish the Children at Risk Unit at the CBSS Secretariat which would support the Expert Group on Children at Risk. The Expert Group on Children at Risk acts as convenor, driver, initiator, coordinator and facilitator to stimulate dialogue and exchange on cross-border concerns, to develop and nurture strategic partnerships and to contribute to the development and implementation of tangible projects. The Secretariat is mandated to undertake this work. Additional information about the Children at Risk work at the CBSS is available on https://childrenatrisk.cbss.org.

Responsibilities

Under supervision and with the support and guidance of the Senior Adviser; Head of the Children at Risk Unit, the general tasks may include:

  • Support the Head of the Unit when providing technical and administrative support to the Expert Group on Children at Risk in the daily work.
  • Assist in organising relevant events for various groups of stakeholders, including drafting of agendas and within the delegated responsibility making bookings of venues, arranging travel and accommodation reservations for participants, organising lunches and dinners, ensuring that the CBSS travel policy and authorisation guidelines are applied.
  • Produce minutes and/or summaries of meetings attended.
  • Support in drafting and producing relevant communication material, such as social media posts and website content related to the Children at Risk’s activities.
  • Support the collection, organisation and analysis of information from CBSS Member States, including practices, policy developments and country-specific information related to child protection and children’s rights.
  • Assist in organising the Children at Risk Unit’s digital archiving of relevant documents from meetings, workshops, seminars etc.
  • Coordinate the calendar of the Children at Risk Unit including updates of CBSS internal calendar.
  • Participate in and support the CBSS Secretariat’s administration during internal or external relevant events organised by the Secretariat and Expert Units in cooperation with Host Country, CBSS Member and Observer States and other events.
  • Other tasks as required.

Responsibilities may vary and change over time, depending on the development of the work of the Unit and also the intern's skills and interests.

Eligibility Criteria for the advertised position

The internship programme is open to students who are enrolled in an advanced university degree (Master) or are recent graduates from a programme with specialisation in an area relevant to the work of the CBSS and the Children at Risk.

Education: You must be a university student or a recent graduate from a field such as International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights, Migration Studies, Communications, Journalism, Political Science, International Relations, Security Studies, Social Sciences, Education or any other relevant field.

Competency

The ideal candidate for the position has strong organisational, planning and time-management skills, speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interpret messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; demonstrate openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. An interest in child protection, children’s rights and cross-border cooperation is considered an asset.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals, solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; willingness to learn from others, places team's goals first, shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Creativity: Actively seeks to improve services; offers new and different options to solve problems; thinks “outside the box”.

Technological awareness

Computer literacy in Microsoft Office is required.

Languages

The working language of the CBSS is English. For the internship post, fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Terms and Conditions

Relocation to Stockholm is necessary. CBSS does not offer remote/online internships.

The CBSS Internship programme offers a monthly scholarship grant of 13500 SEK to nationals of the CBSS Member States.

Health and disability insurance: Interns are required to have health insurance coverage, and to take care of formalities with the Swedish authorities regarding their stay in Sweden. The Secretariat will not take responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness incurred during an internship. Furthermore, upon awarding an internship, candidates will be required to sign a statement confirming their understanding and acceptance of the condition of service.

Residence and Housing: Interns are responsible for making all necessary arrangements regarding living in Stockholm.

Internship period: 9 months, preferably starting on mid-September beginning of October 2026.

The CBSS Child Safeguarding Policy

The CBSS Secretariat and its Expert Units are fully committed to keeping children we come in contact with through our work protected and safeguarded from actions that place them at risk of violence, abuse, exploitation, injury and any other harm. The CBSS Secretariat is committed to recruiting staff and interns who are suited to apply strict child safeguarding practices.

How to apply:

Please upload your CV and a short motivation letter in English addressed to the Head of the Children at Risk, Ms. Kadi Lauri, no later than 15 May 2026, 23.59 CET. Applications received after the deadline or submitted by e-mail, and/or normal postage will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an online interview.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.