The participation of children who are separated from their families, in making decisions on matters that affect them, has become recognised as an issue of major importance around the world, not least for children’s protection and personal development. But children’s participation cannot be considered as a series of activities isolated from other aspects of their lives. Children’s participation is a vital component of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which itself, in turn, is of crucial importance as a framework for children separated from their families, who are generally living in circumstances where they are more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. This paper looks at some participation examples and issues for children in care (that is in residential and foster care), but in the context of separation from family, protection and rights. That is, first, children in care as part of a larger group of children who are separated from their families for a variety of reasons, such as abuse, trafficking, abandonment, and so on. Second, the broader perspective of social protection emerging from the development of child rights programming – that is, the development of services and initiatives for children based on analysis of their circumstances and rights.
©Save the Children UK
