Year: 2024

Children’s Participation in Decision-making: A Systematic Review of Concepts, Barriers, Enabling Factors, and Policy Implications

Children’s participation in decision-making is seen as a key right and vital for inclusive development, as they make up nearly one-third of Indonesia’s population. While there are laws and initiatives to promote child participation, it mostly remains symbolic and not practiced effectively. A study analyzed 1112 articles from academic sources, with 79 articles selected for in-depth examination. The results show that true participation means viewing children as active citizens rather than just recipients of adult decisions. This approach not only respects children’s rights but also leads to better public policies. Despite the positive potential of child participation, several challenges exist. Many adults doubt children’s ability to contribute meaningfully, creating power imbalances and reducing participation to mere tokens. Participatory platforms often fail to include marginalized children or those with disabilities, and a lack of awareness about rights and opportunities hinders effective engagement. On the other hand, helpful factors include strong legal frameworks, training for children and adults, and inclusive approaches that incorporate children’s views into governance. When carried out properly, child participation empowers children and leads to more effective policies. However, many children are still unaware of their rights and have low participation rates. Addressing these issues is urgent and requires focused efforts to break down barriers, improve engagement skills, and ensure children’s perspectives are integrated throughout the policy-making process. Meaningful child participation is essential for building a fair and inclusive society. Urgent actions are needed to make this a reality.

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Recommendations from children and young people with disabilities for enhanced participation in local communities

Participation of children and young people with disabilities is often restricted and needs to be higher on the agenda of relevant municipal service providers. With a sociology of childhood perspective and based on thematic analysis of two focus group discussions and one individual interview with children and young people with various (dis)abilities, we present and discuss their recommendations for achieving increased participation in activities and services within their local communities in two norwegian municipalities. the findings are presented as six themes concerning service development participation, local activities, staff interaction, language and respect, community meeting places for youth with functional variations and inclusive built environments. Our findings should be of immediate concern for service providers, healthcare staff, policymakers and others who are responsible for services and policies aiming at increasing children’s participation in their daily life environments.

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Photovoice Reimagined: A Guide to Supporting the Participation of Students With Intellectual Disabilities in Research

Article 12 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1989) sets out the right for all children to be heard and for their opinions to be given due weight. However, the voices of children with disabilities often remain silenced as their perspectives are rarely consulted. This paper describes how a visual, participatory research method called Photovoice was used to elicit the voices of students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in mainstream post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. Thirteen students with ID in four schools across Ireland participated by taking photographs of aspects of their school life that were meaningful to them. Photographs focused on places, spaces, objects and examples of learning, including their role in decision making. This paper details the stages of the Photovoice method which was adapted to support students to participate in the research process. It provides guidance on how to address the ethical and methodological concerns which arise when researching with children. It outlines a two-step approach to analysis, where participating students interpreted and created meaning which was further developed by the Principal Investigator. Employing Photovoice repositions students in this study as co-researchers and co-creators of meaning. Its use operationalises Lundy’s Model of Participation (2007) by providing space, voice, audience and influence which are necessary for children to express their views and have their voices heard in an ethical and inclusive manner.

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Guide to Children’s Participation in Decisions About Their Health

The Guide provides information and advice, primarily for healthcare professionals, about how to involve children in decision-making processes regarding their health. It starts by presenting the theoretical and legal context and progresses to describe important components of the decision-making process, helping health professionals to understand their role in supporting children, families, and other professionals to enact this in practice. Key concepts of consent, assent, and ‘best interests’ are discussed, as well as common healthcare situations where participation in decision-making may sometimes be perceived as more challenging. Examples and links to good practice are provided throughout.

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Support for children and young people (children) and strengthening their voices

The Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, has requested the Family Law Council provide advice aiming to improve support for children and young people in accessing appropriate support services and participating in the family law system. The report outlines the history and current understandings of the application in laws, policy and practice of children’s rights, including Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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Child and youth friendly justice for the climate crisis: Relying on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The climate crisis is a human rights crisis, and one of the worst affected groups is children and youth. This same group has been key to climate action in and outside of the courts. As well as engaging in numerous consultative fora such as COP, and in the introduction of a General Comment on the right of children to a healthy environment, they have gone on to become key litigators in climate cases/applications at both national and international level. These justice processes are, however, notoriously ill suited to the particular needs of children and youth. Child friendly justice is a concept which has been elaborated in recent years by the Council of Europe. Yet climate litigation is very different to the cases (e.g. in family law) in which children have traditionally been parties – amongst other things it can involve very public campaigns. This article considers child and youth friendly justice in the context of the climate crisis through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and through the concepts of access, participation, interests, and judgments.

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