Developing a model for participation by children in research on decision making (original) (raw)
Related papers
2019
Article 12 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child recognises the right of children and young people to express their views on issues relevant to their lives. Countries who have ratified the Convention have a legal obligation to take appropriate measures to implement this right. However, implementing children and young people’s participation rights has been challenging for countries and existing structures, as it entails substantive changes in how children and young people are viewed by society, ways of working and priorities. Globally, efforts to realise children and young people’s right to participate have generally been tokenistic and have a minimal impact on decision-making. As models and programmes have been developed to address these limitations, child-led research has emerged as an approach that can provide children and young people with particularly meaningful opportunities to participate. Therefore, there is a growing interest in child-led research as a mechanism to enhance participation rights, based on the premise that children and young people bring particular expertise to the research process. This study explores examples of children and young people who led their own research and took actions based on their research findings.
Promoting the participation of children and young people in care
Child Abuse & Neglect, 2002
Objective: There are particular reasons why it is important for children and young people in care to have some say in the decisions that are made about their lives. The aim of this paper is to outline these and to review the developments and the research concerning the participation of children in care in processes and decisions that affect them. Method: This paper reviews the research literature from the UK, North America, Australia and New Zealand. It explores the perceptions of children and young people in care concerning the extent to which they have been able to participate in decisions that affect them, the reasons they want to do so, and what is required to make it effective. Results: Children and young people in care clearly wish to have some say in the way decisions are made about their lives and generally do not believe that they have adequate appropriate opportunities to do so. Conclusions: Genuine and effective participation depends on several conditions: opportunity and choice in ways to participate, access to relevant information, the availability of a trusted advocate, proper resourcing, and supportive policy and legislation. Feedback from children and young people is also required to indicate whether it is happening.
How is a research that children want? Hearing the children's voices during the research process
It is important to get the views of children during participation in the research process. The Committee on the Rights of the Child mentions the aspects to be conveyed to children who participate in research processes. A 'symmetrical approach' must be adopted for getting children's own consent, and informing them about the research and participatory methods. This study aims to utilise children's voices for research processes, and their participation and the participatory methods they prefer are the main goals. Children's views on their research processes, their needs and their interests are investigated and the data collected via semi-structured interviews from seven male and seven female children by sampling and snowball sampling techniques. The majority of the children were found to be keen to participate in the research and they wanted a positive approach; they also have different expressions according to their contextual characteristics, like the place to conduct the research.
Children’s Participation in Care and Protection Decision-Making Matters
Laws
Laws and policies in different jurisdictions provide a range of mechanisms that allow children involved in child protection processes and care proceedings to express their views when decisions that affect them are being made. Whether these mechanisms facilitate children’s involvement and whether they result in children’s views being heard and “given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child”, as required by article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, is the focus of this article. The law, policy and practice in New South Wales, Australia, are used to provide a contextual illustration of the wider theoretical and practical issues, drawing on international comparisons and research. It is clear there is still some way to go to satisfy the requirements of article 12 in Australia and other jurisdictions. These mechanisms often do not provide the information children need to understand the process, nor do they consistently encourage meaningful partici...
International journal of nursing studies, 2008
The past decade has seen a growing recognition in Ireland and internationally that children and young people have a right to participate in matters that affect their lives. To critique the research literature on children's, parents and healthcare professionals' experiences of children's participation in consultations and decision-making within the healthcare setting. The literature was obtained from electronic databases, books, and journals focusing on work published in between 1993 and 2007. Despite the importance of consulting with sick children, their views are rarely sought nor acknowledged within the healthcare setting. Children are rarely involved in decision-making process and appear to occupy a marginalized position in healthcare encounters. Healthcare professionals and parents play a significant influence on whether children's efforts to participate are facilitated and supported in the hospital setting. There is a need for further research to explore health ...
Listening to Children’s Voices: Children as Participants in Research
International Journal of Early Childhood, 2012
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Facilitating participation of children and young people in care
Children Australia, 2001
A significant challenge for children and young people in care (and for the agencies which supervise their care) is to find ways to ‘have a say’ in the decisions which affect their lives. The aim of this paper is to bring together the results of several recent Australian studies which have explored the views of children and young people in care and to see how well they fit with the views of the adult professionals responsible for their care. This research makes it clear that the practice still lags some way behind the rhetoric and that many children and young people in care are not satisfied with their level of involvement. The main preconditions for facilitating effective participation by children and young people are outlined.