Examining children’s perspectives of the mini-police in England and Wales

Since January 2016, Irish family law courts have been obliged to take into consideration the voices of children in proceedings where decisions regarding contact with parents are being made. This article examines the findings of an Irish study that shed light on how young children’s voices are heard in decisions regarding contact with parents who do not, or no longer, live together. The views of key stakeholders who have some involvement with contact arrangements for young children in the 0–6 years age category are highlighted. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted in order to understand various perspectives on how and under what circumstances young children are heard in contact cases. The findings demonstrate that the voices of young children are virtually absent in family law decisions regarding contact. Determining factors relate to the infrastructure of the courts, a significant lack of resources to support the Irish family law system and significant variation in practice approaches between social and legal professionals. As a result of these findings, suggestions are proposed for informing practice and improving service delivery in family law in a way that best meets the needs and rights of young children.

The voices of children on movement behaviours: implications for promoting international guidelines to support obesity-prevention efforts

PurposeThis paper offers a reflection of a research process aimed at listening to young children's voices in their everyday school life through a play-based context in a Scottish school. Throughout the research process, the complexity of conducting this research was kept in mind as listening to children's voices presents methodological and conceptual difficulties and tensions. Reflecting on the research process after the data was collected, the process was critiqued using Deleuze-Guattarian ideas. The critique aims at opening and challenging each researcher, allowing them to think-again about the next research project aimed at listening to children's voices.Design/methodology/approachThe research involved an observation study that took place over one week in a primary school in Central Scotland. As part of the educators' approach to play-based pedagogy, children had the opportunity to engage in free play throughout the day. Observations were chosen as the main approach to “capture” children's voices in their natural settings.FindingsThe empirical research brought forth two main ideas, that of children as agents, and how children amplify their voices through play. The reflective part offers the possibility of understanding the intensities and forces when conducting such research and the possibilities of engaging with these.Originality/valueThis paper offers a critique of research aimed at listening to children's voices. The aim is not to limit engagement in researching children's voices but to open, or make complex, such processes.

It is argued that children's voice can and should be enhanced in primary schooling, and particularly in geographical learning. Using examples from different aspects of geographical experience and content, four approaches to engaging children's voice are presented: children leading and developing geographical topics; children bringing their ethno-geographical expertise into the classroom; children being listened to beyond the classroom and children learning from and heeding other children's voices from around the world. Interwoven with discussion of these approaches are matters concerning the purpose of locational knowledge, identity, geographical knowledge as powerful knowledge and the value of hazards education. The case is that this strengthens the teachers’ role through its focus in empowering children's and teachers’ learning, not only in geography but more widely for the primary curriculum. This argument draws on critical pedagogy, which supports strongly children's agency in schooling. It concludes by specifying principles to enable children's voice in their learning and which empower pedagogy.

This article will explore the use of visual participatory research methods with young children. These methods have been utilized to add young children's voices to research on the impact of a quality improvement strategy in an early years’ settings involved in a community-based prevention and early intervention programme. The main objective of the intervention programme is to measurably improve the lives of children (pre-birth to six years) and families through universal and targeted services in an urban community which experiences high levels of socio-economic deprivation. Children were offered the opportunity to share their views with the researchers through a variety of participatory rights-based approaches including drawing, photo-elicitation, photography, and conversations. Adding children's voices to the programme evaluation can help us to understand children's experiences and produces better policy and better services and also to interrogate the adult-centric quantitative data and adult perspectives generated in the ongoing project evaluation.

Receiving or lacking support can be decisive in how children engage in and continue with sports hobbies or physical activity (PA) in general. The topic is timely, since the PA levels of children are currently insufficient. However, children's own experiences concerning the support they receive are under-researched. The purpose of this study is to explore from whom, to what extent and what kind of support children experience receiving for PA. This mixed-methods study collected empirical data among 11-year-old children, regarding children's own perceptions of PA by local interviews (n = 36) as the main primary material, complemented with a local survey (n = 114), and national survey (n = 1765) conducted in Finland. In addition, access to the local respondents' accelerometer measurements conducted in five schools in a city in Southern Finland was utilised to characterise the interviewees in terms of their PA. The various data were gathered in 2021 and 2022. According to data from both local and national surveys, children experience receiving support for PA from multiple actors (particularly from parents, teachers, hobby instructors/coaches, friends). Support styles vary from coercive to enabling, encouraging and participatory support. The combination of support from different actors can be reinforcing, remedial or destructive, depending on the type and amount of support and a child's experiences regarding the support. To reinforce positive support experiences and to avoid destructive support combinations, shared responsibility and congruence regarding the provision of support for children's PA is called for.

Event Abstract Back to Event Specific temporal response to human voice in young children Ophélie Rogier1*, S. Roux1, C. Barthélémy2 and N. Bruneau1 1 INSERM U930, Université François-Rabelais de Tours, France 2 Hôpital Bretonneau, Service de Pédopsychiatrie, France Voice is one of the most important social stimuli. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in adults have localized voice processing along the upper bank of the superior temporal sulcus (STS), particularly on the right side (review in Belin et al., Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2004). These cerebral regions, also called temporal voice areas (TVA), mature early since neonates clearly discriminate this particular auditory stimulus, as demonstrated using behavioural methods (DeCasper and Fifer, Science, 1980). The aim of the present study was to evidence electrophysiological correlates of voice processing in children. Twelve 6-7-year-old children participated in this study. Cortical auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were recorded during passive listening to human vocal sounds (foreign words, laughs, sighs, coughs…) and environmental sounds (alarms, cars, musical instruments, streams…). Stimuli were derived from those used in Belin et al.’s studies, additionally segmented in 500-ms samples in order to accommodate AEP methodology. While cortical AEPs to both vocal and non-vocal stimuli displayed similar successive P1 and N250 waveforms at fronto-central sites (Fz, Cz), temporal responses showed clear differences according to stimulus, specially on the right side. A negative N1c wave culminating at around 160 ms was evoked by environmental sounds on both left and right temporal sites. Such N1c waves were not recorded in response to voice stimuli, which evoked a large positive deflection on the right side in the 100-250 ms latency range. Scalp current density mapping showed that a radially-oriented source underlay this positivity. We might hypothesize that this generator is localized in the superior temporal sulcus, previously demonstrated to be specifically activated by voice in fMRI studies. This temporal response to voice appears a reliable marker for further investigation of voice perception abilities in children with communication disorders. Conference: 10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Turkey, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Perceptual Processing and Recognition Citation: Rogier O, Roux S, Barthélémy C and Bruneau N (2008). Specific temporal response to human voice in young children. Conference Abstract: 10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.322 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 10 Dec 2008; Published Online: 10 Dec 2008. * Correspondence: Ophélie Rogier, INSERM U930, Université François-Rabelais de Tours, Tours, France, o.rogier@chu-tours.fr Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Ophélie Rogier S. Roux C. Barthélémy N. Bruneau Google Ophélie Rogier S. Roux C. Barthélémy N. Bruneau Google Scholar Ophélie Rogier S. Roux C. Barthélémy N. Bruneau PubMed Ophélie Rogier S. Roux C. Barthélémy N. Bruneau Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

This paper responds to suggestions that the concept of ‘child voice’ is under-interrogated in academic and grey literatures. It presents findings from data generated with seven mothers in a small-scale qualitative study about young children’s well-being in a low-income area in England. The findings suggest a re-conceptualisation of young children as a ‘mutuality of being’ may broaden the means by which children’s voices can be heard and responded to, especially those living in, or at risk of, poverty. The paper highlights some of the possible shortcomings of conceptualising young children as bounded individuals who can be abstracted from their social and material temporal/spatial contexts. The implications of individualising children, prevalent in Early Childhood Education & Care policy in England, are considered. The paper concludes by suggesting that eliciting young children’s voice(s) necessitate including other voices, past and present, from the socio-cultural contexts in which they are entangled.

This article responds to David Archars's (2020a) provocation paper 'Hearing the child's voice' from the perspective of early childhood. The delineation of the age at which a child can form a view is the first thinking point. It questions how to value the views of children younger than eight, and presents multimodal dialogue as an important frontier for the enactment of the right to a view. Responsiveness is suggested rather than pre-determined delineation. The second thinking point explores alternative perspectives to binary thinking: feelings can be conceptualised as not separate from thoughts. Voice can include emotional expression; and, when individual children form and express a view, they remain linked within relationships with others, and the world. The 'in-between' space where dialogical voicing occurs can be world-wide. The think piece contributes original ideas of young children�s voices as multimodal dialogues including more-than-human perspectives (such as the environment) beyond delineations.

BackgroundIn China, the national prevalence of parental influenza vaccine hesitancy (IVH) during the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the association between risk perception and parental IVH are still unclear. We aimed to explore the association between risk perception and IVH for children among reproductive women in China, a poorly studied area.MethodsFrom December 14, 2020, to January 31, 2021, we conducted a national anonymous online survey on IVH for children among reproductive women in China. We assessed risk perception including perceived susceptibility, severity, barriers, and benefits using the Health Belief Model and then classified each variable into three groups based on tertiles. Logistic regression models were used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of risk perception related to vaccine hesitancy after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and knowledge of influenza, among other factors. Additionally, subgroup analysis was performed.ResultsAmong 3,011 reproductive women, 9.13% reported IVH. In multivariable models, vaccine hesitancy was associated with low perceived susceptibility (aOR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.79–3.65), higher perceived barriers (moderate: aOR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.04–2.08; high: aOR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.47–3.30), and low perceived benefit (moderate: aOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.03–1.92; low: aOR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.43–3.07). Subgroup analysis showed that vaccine hesitancy was more likely to occur among women with high perceived barriers aged < 30 years compared with those older than 30 years (P for difference = 0.041) and among women with moderate perceived benefit who had never conceived compared with those had a history of pregnancy (P for difference = 0.048).ConclusionsNearly one in 10 reproductive women was hesitant about influenza vaccination for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic. To mitigate vaccine hesitancy, our findings highlight a need for tailored public health measures to increase perceived disease susceptibility and vaccine benefit and decrease perceived barriers. Furthermore, the effect of high perceived barriers and moderate perceived benefit on vaccine hesitancy was higher among younger women and women who had never conceived.

Around the world, many young children under five years of age engage with arts and technology in their home environments. Engagement with arts and technology becomes a form of sense making and communication for the young child. When children enter early childhood educational settings, the same access to digital technology may not be visible. A divide between home environments and school environments may exist, with different cultural norms. Leven and Arafeh (2002) describe this as digital-disconnect between home-school contexts. This chapter will explore the importance of narrative meaning-making to promote arts and technology communication by young children. Narrative interactions allow children's voices to be at the centre of decisions by the educator regarding arts and technology engagement. By allowing children's voices to be heard around their engagement of arts and technology, we can reflect on reducing the gap between home environments and school environments for learning.

Young children from military families often struggle to comprehend the changes occurring within their households due to parental training and deployment. This paper (a) presents children's understandings of their experiences in Australian military families in a study, and then (b) provides an example of how we used children's voices to co‐create free psychosocial resources to better support this cohort, which can be employed by those working with these families. A participatory Mosaic Approach was employed to capture the voices of 19 young children. Inductive thematic analysis viewed through a socio‐cultural lens revealed that children's understandings can be improved through educational activities using age‐appropriate and culturally relevant resources, encouraging discussions and educational activities. These findings are significant as they capture and amplify the voices of young children in military families. This served as a catalyst for a co‐creation project, resulting in a suite of psychosocial resources based on these findings and other lived experience narratives, relevant literature, and the insights of those who assist these families. These free online resources allow these children to thrive rather than merely survive. This will interest military family researchers, policymakers within military organizations, and those supporting these families.

Around the world, many young children under five years of age engage with arts and technology in their home environments. Engagement with arts and technology becomes a form of sense making and communication for the young child. When children enter early childhood educational settings, the same access to digital technology may not be visible. A divide between home environments and school environments may exist, with different cultural norms. Leven and Arafeh (2002) describe this as digital-disconnect between home-school contexts. This chapter will explore the importance of narrative meaning-making to promote arts and technology communication by young children. Narrative interactions allow children's voices to be at the centre of decisions by the educator regarding arts and technology engagement. By allowing children's voices to be heard around their engagement of arts and technology, we can reflect on reducing the gap between home environments and school environments for learning.

BackgroundPartial deafness (PD) is a condition in which normal hearing is preserved in the low frequency range, while severe to profound hearing loss is observed in the middle and high frequency ranges. The aim of this study was to assess the acoustic structure of the voice in children considered for partial deafness treatment (PDT).Material and MethodsThe material included 127 children aged from 5 to 12 years old. The study group included children with partial deafness (PD). Depending on age, patients in the study group were divided into 2 groups. The first included 40 children aged 5–6 years, and the second consisted of 44 school-age children aged 7–12 years. The control group included 20 healthy normally hearing children aged 5–6 years and 23 healthy, normally hearing children with clear voices, aged 7–12 years. Children’s voices were assessed subjectively by the physician and objectively with the use of a digital CSL KAY Multidimensional Voice Profile analyser (MDVP). The sustained vowel “a” was used for analysis.ResultsAcoustic features of PD vs. normally hearing children were different. Statistically significant parameters differentiating voices in the group of younger children were fundamental frequency (Fo); shimmer, a parameter describing changes in amplitude (ShdB); and noise-to-harmonic-ratio (NHR). In the group of older children more acoustic parameters characterizing voices of PD children were defined. They included fundamental frequency (Fo); fundamental frequency variation (vFo); amplitude change (vAm, sAPQ); noise-to-harmonic-ratio (NHR); and voice tremor (FTRI).ConclusionsThe acoustic structure of the voice in children with partial deafness is different from that in children with normal hearing.

SUMMARY Gathering data about children's development and learning has long been the domain of adults. However, there is increasing interest in including children's voices in their education and, a more challenging task, in research that impacts on educational practice and policy making. Techniques such as Instant Video Revisiting (IVR) offer a way for children's voices to be heard. In this paper, we discuss the use of IVR in investigations of young children and their symbol systems. Four year old children are offered opportunities to comment directly upon their experience in shared book reading and spontaneous singing. We discuss the opportunities offered by IVR and comment on the challenges faced by children, teachers and researchers when there is no shared meta-language for discussion.