Child Participation

Children have the right to participate in matters affecting their lives and should be enabled to give their opinions, and to have those opinions taken into account. Through participation, children learn self-expression, empowerment and ultimately greater self-esteem.  Children are a diverse group and therefore children of different ages, abilities, backgrounds, races, and both genders should ideally be included in a consultation process.

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Claire O'Kane,

Focuses on the work of the Butterflies Programme for Street and Working Children in India. Advocates for participatory approaches in child-focused development work.

Andy West,

This paper defines concepts and highlights key topics around orphaned and vulnerable children. It stresses the importance of creating a child-friendly environment and utilizing a holistic approach to care, both which identify children as central participants in decision-making about care and placement.

Laurence Gray,

Discusses approaches to protecting at-risk children in five Asian countries. Identifies programming and policy measures that effectively address child abuse. Emphasis on committing all levels of society to coordinated practical response.

Save the Children,

A toolkit of good practices for involving children in consultation and policy processes. Includes an extensive guide to additional resources.

Save the Children Alliance,

A comprehensive guide to organizing consultations with groups of children or young people, and the role of adults in creating a safe and enabling environment for meaningful child participation.

Brigette De Lay,

Programmatic methodology and key steps for reintegrating institutionalized children back into the community in a post-conflict environment. Contains comprehensive assessment toolkit in document annex.

Gillian Mann,

This paper describes a qualitative research study conducted in three villages in Malawi. It explores community mobilization and kinship care, as well as striking discrepancies between the perceptions of adults and children regarding care and support. The paper advocates for increased child decision-making, childcare protection policy, and support networks for orphaned children.

Miatta Abdullai, Edwin Dorbor, and David Tolfree,

This paper outlines the response of Save the Children to the civil war outbreak in Liberia. Using the concept of child participation, the organization was able to address the needs of the children, which included family tracing and reunification, child protection and education.

UNICEF,

Compiled case descriptions from a diverse set of programs that work with and for adolescents. Analysis emphasizes common challenges and lessons learned for strategic planning.

Catherine Panter-Brick,

An analysis of the multi-level factors present in the lives of children living and working on the streets. The author advocates for integrating human rights and child participation based approaches into interventions and supports for at-risk children.