Across sectors and countries, children are increasingly invited to participate in decision-making. However, meaningful participation does not happen automatically. Without shared principles to guide ethical participation, the process can become tokenistic or ineffective.
The principles presented here are based on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s guidance on article 12. They define the minimum requirements for ethical, safe and effective participation, and provide a shared reference point for decision-making processes involving groups of children.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child states the basic requirements for including children in decision-making
The Committee urges States parties to avoid tokenistic approaches, which limit children’s expression of views, or which allow children to be heard, but fail to give their views due weight. Further that If participation is to be effective and meaningful, it needs to be understood as a process, not as an individual one-off event. Therefore, the Committee recommends that States parties integrate these requirements into all legislative and other measures for the implementation of Article 12:
All processes in which a child or children are heard and participate, must be:
Children must be provided with full, accessible, diversity-sensitive and age-appropriate information about their right to express their views freely and their views to be given due weight, and how this participation will take place, its scope, purpose and potential impact;
Children should never be coerced into expressing views against their wishes and they should be informed that they can cease involvement at any stage;
Children’s views have to be treated with respect and they should be provided with opportunities to initiate ideas and activities. Adults working with children should acknowledge, respect and build on good examples of children’s participation, for instance, in their contributions to the family, school, culture and the work environment. They also need an understanding of the socio-economic, environmental and cultural context of children’s lives. Persons and organizations working for and with children should also respect children’s views with regard to participation in public events;
The issues on which children have the right to express their views must be of real relevance to their lives and enable them to draw on their knowledge, skills and abilities. In addition, space needs to be created to enable children to highlight and address the issues they themselves identify as relevant and important;
Environments and working methods should be adapted to children’s capacities. Adequate time and resources should be made available to ensure that children are adequately prepared and have the confidence and opportunity to contribute their views. Consideration needs to be given to the fact that children will need differing levels of support and forms of involvement according to their age and evolving capacities;
Participation must be inclusive, avoid existing patterns of discrimination, and encourage opportunities for marginalised children, including both girls and boys, to be involved (see also para. 88 above). Children are not a homogeneous group and participation needs to provide for equality of opportunity for all, without discrimination on any grounds. Programmes also need to ensure that they are culturally sensitive to children from all communities;
Adults need preparation, skills and support to facilitate children’s participation effectively, to provide them, for example, with skills in listening, working jointly with children and engaging children effectively in accordance with their evolving capacities. Children themselves can be involved as trainers and facilitators on how to promote effective participation; they require capacity-building to strengthen their skills in, for example, effective participation awareness of their rights, and training in organising meetings, raising funds, dealing with the media, public speaking and advocacy;
In certain situations, expression of views may involve risks. Adults have a responsibility towards the children with whom they work and must take every precaution to minimise the risk to children of violence, exploitation or any other negative consequence of their participation. Action necessary to provide appropriate protection will include the development of a clear child-protection strategy which recognises the particular risks faced by some groups of children, and the extra barriers they face in obtaining help. Children must be aware of their right to be protected from harm and know where to go for help if needed. Investment in working with families and communities is important in order to build understanding of the value and implications of participation, and to minimise the risks to which children may otherwise be exposed;
A commitment to follow-up and evaluation is essential. For example, in any research or consultative process, children must be informed as to how their views have been interpreted and used and, where necessary, provided with the opportunity to challenge and influence the analysis of the findings. Children are also entitled to be provided with clear feedback on how their participation has influenced any outcomes. Wherever appropriate, children should be given the opportunity to participate in follow-up processes or activities. Monitoring and evaluation of children’s participation needs to be undertaken, where possible, with children themselves.
We welcome contributions that can strengthen how children are involved in decision-making.
This can include frameworks, guidance, tools, research, reports, or examples of practice.
If you are working on something relevant – or know of something that should be included – we would like to hear from you.
All submissions are reviewed before being published.
Please ensure that what you share is respectful and that you have permission to share any content, especially when it involves children.
