Child participation has become a conscious goal for support services related to children and young people, but there is still uncertainty regarding how this can be facilitated.This study explores the value of children's participation in research and is based on a "child-centred" approach to the early development of a participation tool called the "Sense of Empowerment Inventory for Children" (SEIC).The main finding in this study concerns both the specific changes that were proposed by the children and how this affected the quality of the tool, but also how the children's involvement had an impact on understanding participation as a process.This study adds knowledge to a methodological approach that supports the value and benefit of including children in participatory processes in research.
The primary objective of this research is to investigate the lack of an enabling environment for meaningful child participation in the design process of the Jakarta Child Friendly Inte-grated Public Space Initiatives (RPTRA). I employed a Child-Centered Participatory Ap-proach (CCPA) involving 19 children (from RPTRA Jaka Teratai, RPTRA Cipinang Besar Utara, and RPTRA Anggerek) as well as 20 adults who worked with these children in the RPTRA design process. The research findings confirm that the lack of an enabling environ-ment for meaningful child participation in the RPTRA design process was triggered by a lack of understanding of child participation among both the children and adults involved. This manifested in various issues including: discrimination in child recruitment; failure to enable equal participation for children from marginalised groups such as children with disabilities; and adult-dominated decision-making causing manipulation of the process and tokenistic child participation.
To address the failure to realize meaningful child participation in this kind of RPTRA activities, I argue for the child rights duty bearers involved in RPTRA to develop a compre-hensive policy aimed at creating an enabling environment for meaningful child participation. This policy should revolve around five holistic elements: raising the awareness of children and adults about children’s rights using creative campaigns as well as capacity building; uti-lising non-discrimination values; providing a monitoring and evaluation system for children; employing a task-based method that is friendly and fun for children; and developing a col-laborative decision-making approach between adults and children.
Child obesity is a major public health issue. Alarming obesity projections have sparked widespread concern, albeit not much consensus on how to address the problem. Obesity has been often viewed as a matter of personal responsibility, and especially of parental responsibility when it concerns children. Elsewhere, I discussed the importance of adopting instead a children’s rights approach to hold governments accountable for preventing and combating child obesity. This article focuses instead on the right of children to participate in decision-making processes affecting their lives recognized under Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The article argues that its implementation through experiential food learning opportunities integrated into early childhood school curricula deserves much attention and holds some promise for effective solutions.
This study examines the implementation of COP28UAE's commitment to child participation in climate and biodiversity strategies by Safeguarding Children Partnerships (SCPs) in England and Wales. Employing a mixed methods approach, a document review of the strategic plans of SCPs (N=140) revealed that none had identified the impact of climate change as a child protection priority; online survey responses suggested an awareness of COP28UAE resolutions, but their implementation was seen as the responsibility of other agencies. The hypothesis suggested is that eco-distress affects children's mental health and that participation in climate change debates provides them with agency and coping strategies. In addition, applying procedural justice principles and involving children’s participation enhances institutional legitimacy. However, SCPs are yet to adopt the impacts of climate change as child protection risk factors and face challenges in balancing immediate risks to children with future climate threats. In doing so, SCPs potentially miss opportunities to legitimize themselves by not fully embracing child participation.
ABSTRACT Child participation is a statutory right in Sweden and central to child welfare practice, yet its realizations in multisectoral settings remain challenging. This study examines how professionals working in Health, Learning and Safety (HLS) teams in Västerbotten, Sweden, perceive and seek to facilitate children's participation. Semi‐structured focus group interviews were conducted with 44 professionals from nine teams, representing health care, schools, and social services. Data were analysed inductively using conventional content analysis. Findings show that while professionals described HLS as fundamentally child centred, children were rarely present in the meetings. Children's perspectives were predominantly mediated through adults' interpretations rather than expressed through children's direct presence in meetings. Professionals highlighted tensions between safeguarding responsibilities and facilitating participation, alongside uncertainty about children's capacities and limited routines for involvement and influence. The absence of shared definitions and formalized procedures contributed to variation across teams, and collaboration itself frequently took precedence over children's participation. The study concludes that children's participation in HLS is best understood as a negotiated and conditional practice shaped by organizational complexity and professional attitudes, rather than a straightforward right. Realizing children's legal right to participation requires structural support, shared frameworks and dedicated space for ongoing professional reflection.
This article carries out a systematic review of the scientific literature on child participation in the formal education system in Spain between 2010 and 2022. Recognising the importance of child participation in the context of the European Union, the theoretical principles of this study are in line with the perspective that child participation involves recognising the fundamental right of children to be heard and taken into consideration from an early age and providing them with the opportunity to convert that listening into positive changes to aspects that affect their lives. Child participation has significant benefits, both from an individual point of view (the child’s own development and the recognition that all rights are for all children), and a social and collective point of view (the strengthening of democracy itself making the school a school for participation). The systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted according to the PRISMA statement 2020. The analysis of the selected articles was based on the Lundy model of child participation (2007) which considers four dimensions: space, voice, audience and influence. The results show that despite the Spanish scientific community’s growing interest in child participation in the field of early childhood education, school culture is still very adult-centric. Aspects related to the dimensions of voice, audience and influence could be improved for which more research is required. There is a clear need to broaden the techniques and instruments required for making child participation effective, and experiences that go beyond consultative participation should be developed. This would enable forms of child participation focused on improving their lives based on their own needs being heard and taken into consideration.
This research aims to explore local language revitalization strategies as a pathway to children's participation within the Child-Friendly Village framework from a non-formal education perspective. Using a qualitative approach with the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) method, this research involved 17 participants consisting of volunteers, community leaders, and parents, with data collection through focus group discussions, participatory mapping, and observation. The research results show that the local language revitalization strategy is implemented through participatory learning, the use of local languages in social spaces such as mosques and community activity centers, and children's activities based on outbound activities. As a result of this strategy, social identity is strengthened, communication accessibility is increased, and children's involvement in village decision-making is encouraged. However, challenges such as language shift, social stigma, and media limitations persist. In effect, this research confirms that integrating local language revitalization into non-formal education practices and village policies can be an important means of strengthening children's participation while maintaining the sustainability of local culture.
Erma Kusumawardani, Serafin Wisni Septiarti, Sugito Sugito et al.
INTRODUCTION: Children under 18 are recognised as key stakeholders in healthcare and possess the right to actively participate in decisions regarding their care. Despite this, they are frequently relegated to passive roles during triadic healthcare consultations involving healthcare providers (HCPs), caregivers, and children. Enhancing child participation requires effective communication strategies; however, numerous barriers persist, including healthcare provider dominance and parental interference. This review aims to explore and identify effective communication strategies employed by healthcare providers and caregivers to improve child participation in triadic consultations within healthcare settings. METHOD: A scoping review methodology, based on the Joanna Briggs Institute framework and PRISMA guidelines, was used. A comprehensive search was conducted across four databases-PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and CINAHL using predefined eligibility criteria. Studies focused on children under 18 in triadic healthcare consultations. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies were included to map existing evidence and highlight gaps. RESULTS: A total of 37 out of 41 studies revealed that child participation in triadic consultations is frequently minimal and varies significantly depending on the communication styles of HCPs and caregivers. HCPs exhibit a range of communication styles, with some adopting a directive or task-focused (Dyadic approach) that prioritises medical tasks and often sidelines children in conversations, while others utilise supportive and facilitative styles (Triadic approach) that emphasise rapport-building, open-ended questioning, child-friendly language, and the use of interactive techniques that facilitate engagement. Parental roles in this dynamic were classified into three main styles: supportive facilitator, dominant and protective. Factors such as the child's age and developmental stage, wider cultural influences, the emotional context, and the healthcare environment were also found to significantly impact child participation. A variety of measurement tools were utilised to assess participation levels, including the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS), conversational analysis and context-specific coding schemes. However, the review identified a notable lack of standardised tools, which limits the comparability of findings across different studies. CONCLUSION: This review highlights the need to enhance child participation in healthcare consultations through effective communication. However, improving participation requires more than communication skills training alone. HCPs must work closely alongside parents and caregivers to support children's participation rights and embed these principles in routine practice. Achieving this objective requires engaging both HCPs and parents to drive changes in clinical practice through a fundamental cultural shift in paediatric care delivery. Future research should employ validated measurement tools to evaluate progress and identify effective approaches to enhancing child engagement in healthcare settings. PATIENT AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The findings have been discussed with Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) members who have children. Their valuable insights contributed to the interpretation of the review findings and informed the next stage of the project, which will include audio observation of triadic consultations in paediatric dental settings.
Maha A. Alharbi, Suzanne Grant, George Cherukara et al.
This article presents a participatory research project developed in a school in Cantabria (Spain) that has sought to enhance the participation of the educational community to transform the school. The article focuses on the analysis of the contributions of the students (children from 3 to 12 years of age), key agents and promoters of change. Pedagogical documentation has been used as a tool to narrate the development of this research and to encourage subsequent reflection. The students have experienced what it means to participate, to listen, to be listened to, to feel recognised and to exert influence in their own lives. The results go beyond mere changes in the configuration and use of spaces. The project has made it possible to think of the school as a forum for citizen participation, favouring the experience of a democratic school, the development of otherness, the feeling of belonging and the experience of community.
Ana Castro Zubizarreta, José Manuel Osoro Sierra, Adelina Calvo Salvador et al.
This study aims to analyze the implementation of the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) in Surabaya and the dynamics of children's participation in urban development. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis, involving policy makers, the Children's Forum, and local communities. Thematic analysis reveals the adaptation of global CFCI norms to the local context, increased meaningful participation of children, and challenges such as resource constraints and inter-sectoral coordination. The findings enrich the literature on norm localization and meaningful involvement, with implications for strengthening policies, replicable models in other cities, and the development of sustainable child participation.
