1 / 28

How to Ensure Meaningful Children’s Participation?

How to Ensure Meaningful Children’s Participation?. Tim Ruscoe Participation Development Officer. Barnardo’s Cymru. Barnardo’s is a Children’s Charity established in Stepney, London in 1870. Barnardo’s Cymru (the corporate body in Wales) launched in 1999.

tad-butler
Download Presentation

How to Ensure Meaningful Children’s Participation?

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. How to Ensure Meaningful Children’s Participation?

  2. Tim Ruscoe Participation Development Officer

  3. Barnardo’s Cymru • Barnardo’s is a Children’s Charity established in Stepney, London in 1870. • Barnardo’s Cymru (the corporate body in Wales) launched in 1999. • Barnardo’s Cymru works with around 12,000 children and young people and their families in Wales each year.

  4. What We Know • Participation is a Right • As a right it is something we can promote and protect. • It can not be defined by activity. • Activity and practice should empower individuals in enjoying their Rights.

  5. Participation is a fundamental enabling Right Religion Information Leisure Safety Health Education Language Protection Identity A voice Participation

  6. Rights into Action Manifesto says.. “Nothing about us Without us”

  7. Sustainable Representation Adult Capacity Shared Responsibilty Power Sharing Equal Partners in Communities Children’s Capacity

  8. Shier’s: Pathways to Participation 5. Service users share power and responsibility for decision-making. 4. Service users are involved in decision-making processes. This point is the minimum you must achieve if you endorse the UNCRC 3. Service users views are taken into account. 2. Service users are supported in expressing their views. 1. Service users are listened to. START HERE Taken from: Shier, H (2001) Pathways to Participation: Openings, Opportunities and Obligations, Children & Society Volume 15 pp. 107-117

  9. Gains for Children and Young People • (Funky Dragon-2002) • A voice and influence. • Updated services. • Self development. • Social and political education. • We become creators not consumers. • Participation in wider society. • Democracy!

  10. Organisational Gains (Funky Dragon-2002) • Services and Policies that are designed, delivered and evaluated on the basis of identified needs of children and young people. • Services that are more effective. • Services that are more credible with children and young people and which safeguard us. • You will be meeting government/assembly targets and expectations. • You will also be contributing to the personal, social and political development of children and young people in Wales.

  11. Benefits of Participation Children and Young People’s participation: • Enhances relationships • Increases organisation relevance to children • Improves organisational abilitity to achieve outcomes • Assists organisations to effectively target funds • Enhances organisational credibility and reputation • Offers organisations a wider variety of perspectives • Improves organisational systems • Helps build capacity and sustainability within an organisation “Youth Participation Case Studies” by Cathy McGachie and Kirsten Smith for the Ministry of Youth Affairs in New Zealand

  12. National Assembly for WalesEquality of Opportunity Committee. • EOC conducted a review of services for Disabled Children and Young People including the involvement of a Reference Group of Disabled Young People • Focused on:- • Transport. • Transition. • Social Services Provision. • Education. • Independent Living. • Sex, sexuality and relationships.

  13. If children and young people have a voice If we can hear that voice Children wll be better protected

  14. CHILD PARTICIPATION IN THE EUROPEAN FORUM ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDBerlin, 4th June 2007

  15. CHILD PARTICIPATION is part of the Forum’s Purpose • The Forum is one of the ways the EC is meeting its commitment to child participation - see the Text of the Communication. • Child Participation is an aimof the Forum, as well as a valuable tool in improving EU policy, practice and programming. • But! To ensure quality meaningful participation resources are required to ensure children’s participation in this design phase.

  16. MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATON ‘Participation is more than turning up!’ ETHICAL – commitment to honesty, accountability, transparency with a respect for all. NON-DISCRIMINATION– equal opportunities for all children to participate. CHILD FRIENDLY – creating an enabling environment in which children are able to contribute to the best of their abilities.

  17. SAFE PARTICIPATION Child Protection is Critical! (and it requires resources) Child Protection procedures need to be followed rigorously to avoid negative experiences for children or adult participants. It involves training and orientation for all of the people involved in the Forum (not just the Forum representatives). We suggest adapting existing resources – e.g.: from the Violence Against Children consultation in Bangkok.

  18. Selection of <18 delegates REPRESENTATIVENESS Must be a process of being mandated by their peers Child delegates are committed to representing the views of others Must be an established feedback mechanism

  19. Selection of < 18 delegates INCLUSIVENESS • Create the right conditions to enable everyone to take part… • people with disabilities • people speaking different languages • people from different cultures & religions • people who cannot afford to pay for transport… • CONSIDER CHILDREN’S ACADEMIC & PERSONAL COMMITMENTS!

  20. Expert Groups MINIMUM REQUIREMENT • Adequate preparation & follow-up is given to every Forum • Children are involved as key partners in the preparation and follow-up Permanent child & adult expert groups

  21. FORUM: ORGANISATIONAL ISSUES TIMING • Lengthy preparation process • Sufficent time before & after the event for ‘ice-breaking’ & de-briefing COSTS • Not possible to “cut corners” on children’s participation!

  22. FORUM: ORGANISATIONAL ISSUES • Child Friendly Documentation and Presentations- Key documents produced in child friendly version (and translated). Presentations ‘child friendly’ so that all can understand • Working Groups – Mixture of discussion formats, skilled facilitators • Evaluation – Adults and children should provide regular feedback on their experiences of the Forum – in order to ensure participation is meaningful for all

  23. EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION? • To be determined in practice • Stated in the Communication that such participatory practices should be repeated in third countries – relating to the EU’s policy, programming and practice • Use existing resources – e.g: VAC

  24. In the words of children… “ We need…. • Enough funding to do this work properly and have enough (qualified) staff • Settings that allow equality, and for us to learn from each other • Enough time to get involved and share our ideas with others • Literature that we can read & understand • Adults and staff that are welcoming” Children’s manifesto « Why Involve Us » Eurochild June 06

  25. Thank you for listening!

More Related