The Suggestion for Practical Guidelines to Promote Child Participation in Local Community

This study develops practical guidelines to promote child participation in local communities in South Korea. The research used literature review, surveys, Delphi method, and focus group interviews to understand current barriers and best practices. The findings show that child participation in South Korea remains at low levels, particularly in society compared to home and school settings, with limited information and difficult participation methods as key barriers. The study proposes nine core principles and process-specific guidelines for practitioners acting as facilitators in child participation activities. These guidelines are intended to help practitioners build professional competence and scale up child participation initiatives in local communities.

Key points

• Survey data showed both children and adults perceive child participation in South Korea as remaining at low levels, with participation less guaranteed in society than in homes and schools
• Key barriers to participation include lack of information about participation activities and difficulty in participation methods
• Delphi survey identified essential content and considerations for each phase: planning and development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation
• Practitioners should fulfil facilitator roles as helpers and promoters in child participation processes
• Nine core principles are proposed to guide child participation across all stages

Limitations

The document does not report on the effectiveness or outcomes of implementing these guidelines, nor does it provide evidence of impact on children's actual participation or well-being. The study is limited to guideline development and stakeholder input without evaluation of implementation results.