Child Participation In Decision-making Research Articles

"BECAUSE WE ALSO HAVE OUR RIGHTS”: PHYSICAL-SPATIAL TRANSFORMATION WITH CHILDREN FROM MORRO DO PAPAGAIO

Although child participation in decision-making is a recognized right, children are often excluded from decision-making processes that will affect the quality of their lives, including those related to urban issues. In the Brazilian context, there is a lack of studies aimed at understanding child participation in the transformation of public spaces. This study aims to explore the repercussions of a physical-spatial transformation involving children aged 9 to 10 years, residents of the Morro do Papagaio favela (Belo Horizonte, Brazil). To this end, interviews, photo-elicitation, and participant observation were conducted. Inductive thematic analysis of the data revealed the value of physical-spatial transformation as a practice that enables the exercise of children's rights to participation, sociability, play, freedom, education, use of public spaces, beauty and well-being. Identifying how children experience public spaces in the favela became crucial to understanding how transforming spaces with children can promote their citizenship.

Child Participation in Early Childhood Education from the Perspective of Female Students Specialising in Preschool and Early Childhood Education

This article addresses the subject matter of child participation in decision-making, events and social or civic activities at the early childhood education stage from the perspective offemale students at a Polish university. This study aimed to explore and analyse the opinions of female students preparing to become teachers for grades 1–3 in primary school, focusing on their perspectives regarding child participation while utilising Roger Hart’s “Ladder of Children’s Participation” concept. In this qualitative study, a semi-directed, problem-oriented focus group interview was conducted, followed by a content analysis of the data obtained. Female students at a large university in a medium-sized city in Poland were invited to participate in the study. The study depicted that they equated theprocess of developing skills related to participation, understood as involvement in society,with formal education. Their responses were dominated by approaches related to full participation, while other views indicated a lack of confidence in implementation of full participation at the early childhood education stage. These concerns, inter alia, include the presumed lack of developmental readiness of children, as well as the requirements that prevent the creation of a participatory environment (compulsory core curriculum). As the analysis of the study programme of future female teachers, conducted as a context, has shown, issues related to child participation have been dealt with marginally, which needs to be corrected.

A qualitative study of child participation in decision-making: Exploring rights-based approaches in pediatric occupational therapy.

BackgroundAccording to Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, therapists are duty-bound to include children in decisions that impact them. Although occupational therapists champion client-centred, collaborative practice, there remains a paucity of studies detailing children’s rights and experiences of decision-making in pediatric occupational therapy.PurposeThis qualitative study described the decision-making experiences of children, parents and therapists in occupational therapy.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 participants (six children, five parents and six occupational therapists), and data analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsThree themes emerged: 1) Goal-setting experiences; 2) Adults: child-rights gatekeepers or defenders? and 3) Decision-making in context. Findings suggest that decision-making is mostly adult directed, and children’s voices are subsumed by adult-led services, priorities, and agendas.ImplicationsChildren’s rights need to be embedded as an aspect of best practice in providing services that are child-centred in occupational therapy practices and education.

Preschool teachers’ beliefs about child participation and its implementation in practice

The implementation of the participatory approach in education allows forming important children’s competencies for life in a democratic society. However, in reality, child participation is often reduced. Children, especially young, have the right to make decisions only about their games and personal belongings, but a child’s opinion is not credible in the educational process. A more successful implementation of the participatory approach requires resorting to tools that allow objectively considering its strengths and weaknesses in terms of provisions for child participation in decision-making. The study aims to identify the connection between Russian teachers’ beliefs about child participation and the quality level of provisions for child participation in the educational process. The methods of survey and structured non-participant observation have been used. The authors have found that, in general, the majority of teachers share the idea of supporting child participation. However, the quality of the learning environment in the context of the examined aspect differs significantly. Sociometric characteristics do not determine these differences. Regardless of the quality level of child participation support, teachers do not seek to expand opportunities for children, and the participatory approach is used only in the preschool classroom. The authors have concluded that despite teachers’ stated beliefs about the importance of the participatory approach, its implementation is often falsified. To change the situation, it is necessary to discuss this gap with teachers, clarify true values, and provide them with the necessary means for real child participation.

The child and the protection of his rights in the Romanian legal system

The aim of the article is to present the circumstances of the establishment of the National Agency for Child Protection and Adoption (Autoritatea Nationala Pentru Protectia Copilului Si Adoptie) and the Deputy Ombudsman dealing with children's matters (Avocatul Copilului, an agency that was established by the Act of January 2018 and is the equivalent of the Ombudsman for Children) as well as to refer to the acts specifying the competences and scope of activity of both institutions. The article analyses legal acts (documents of international law and provisions of national law) and reports sent by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to the Romanian side, which contributed to the establishment of institutions dealing with children's matters in Romania. The conclusions of the review of the child protection legislation in Romania show that the country has made great progress in the care of children and the respect for their rights in recent years. Romania began to be perceived as a country that takes into account the needs of the youngest citizens, which is manifested not only by the establishment of the institution of the Ombudsman for Children or the National Agency for Child Protection and Adoption, but also by many other activities aimed at supporting children. These include the international conference "Child Participation in Decision-Making and Policy Development at EU Level" organized in Bucharest in May 2019, during which the Bucharest a Declaration on Child Participation in Decision-Making at National and EU Levels was adopted.

МЕТОДОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ СПЕЦИФИКА ИЗУЧЕНИЯ ФЕНОМЕНА УЧАСТИЯ ДЕТЕЙ В ПРИНЯТИИ РЕШЕНИЙ В ЗАРУБЕЖНЫХ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯХ

The purpose of this article is to present relevant methodological tools for studying the phenomenon of children's participation in decision-making based on the analysis of this process in foreign studies. The paper demonstrates a comparative analysis of the data obtained from foreign studies ,relying on the ideas of pedagogical methodology,. The authors have singled out approaches to considering the participation of children in decision-making, characterized the methods of organizing research, and presented the methodological specificity of studying participation.

Participation of Children in Decision-making and their Psychosocial Wellbeing within the Child Protection System in St. Petersburg, Russia

The child’s right to be heard is a cornerstone of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children growing up outside of their natural families particularly often find themselves in situations where this right should be fulfilled. In Russia, the child’s participation in decision-making at the time of their separation from their parents, and during their stay in the children’s homes, is often overlooked by both static monitoring and academic studies. In our study we raise the following research questions: To what extent is the right of a child separated from his or her natural parents to participate in decision-making respected? How does involvement in decision-making impact their psychosocial wellbeing? The study covered 215 children aged between ten and seventeen (mean age fourteen years) living in children’s homes in St. Petersburg. Our findings show that 42 % of children believe that they were not heard when the decisions affecting their interests were made. Talking with a social counsellor and having a trusted adult in the children’s home add to children’s perceptions that they have been heard. Limited participation in decision-making increases the odds of psychosocial difficulties in the binary logistic regression. We conclude that limited participation in decision-making negatively impacts the effectiveness of work with children and their psychosocial well-being. Since the degree and effectiveness of children’s participation depends primarily on the attitudes of professionals and their ability to create trusting relationships with children, a further increase in children’s participation will require a change in the professional paradigm of specialists. Specific methods for increasing the participation of children should be introduced in the daily practice of child welfare workers.

The Right to Be Heard

Children need to be taken seriously. In defending children's right to be heard, Michael Freeman argues for a cultural revolution in attitudes to childhood. Using several cases as examples, he takes a critical look at the meaning of ‘competence’ in relation to legal and judicial processes and how these fail to encourage the active participation of children in decision-making. The impact of specific legislation and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is also examined.