scholarly journals Child Participation in Russia: Theoretical and Practical Developments

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-87
Author(s):  
T.O. Archakova ◽  
E.S. Garifulina
Keyword(s):  
Applied Research ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Child Participation ◽  
Legal Documents ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Children’S Views ◽  
Children's Participation ◽  
Different Levels

The article analyzes the development of practice and development of theoretical grounds for child participation in contemporary Russia. Children’s participation is considered as an interdisciplinary field of research, and as the practice of taking into account children’s views at different levels: in everyday life, in family and in local community, in organizations and in self-government bodies. Children are considered as reflective actors: co-authors of research and evaluation of social projects. The analysis uses publications describing the practice and results of researching children’s participation; key legal documents; materials from expert discussions, as well as data on relevant international experience. Data on the views of various stakeholders — specialists, parents, and children themselves — on the issues of child participation are compared and contrasted. The authors conclude that there is no unified system of child participation in Russia, and the most common approaches to its study vary in their methodological groundings. The current situation does not pose serious controversy and threats to the development of children’s participation; it may be favorable for the diversification and competition of approaches to development of child participation practices and their study. Recommendations are given on the themes of further applied research.

scholarly journals Management and Governance Accountability to Children: Participation and Representation in Organisational Decision Making

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 197-226
Author(s):  
Claire O'Kane ◽  
Annabel Trapp ◽  
Paul Stephenson ◽  
Julia Smith-Brake
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Young People ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Child Participation ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Children’S Views ◽  
Children's Participation

Children’s participation and accountability to children are increasingly common aspirations of child-focused organisations; development agencies and research institutions frequently use young people’s advisory councils as one path to participation. A key challenge is to not only find meaningful ways to institutionalise children’s views as part of organisational decision making, but also to identify and address barriers to participation. This article presents the findings of a commissioned landscape assessment to identify good practices and lessons learned from child-focused agencies, in order to inform the operationalisation of children’s requests on programme improvements and accountability to children. The study was exploratory and qualitative. It included primary and secondary data collection, including a desk review, key informant interviews with adults and young people, and focus group discussions with young people. The findings showed common elements of organisational models of child participation and insights from children and young people on the types of decisions they want to influence, reasons why they should be heard, and how-to approaches to support their meaningful participation. Other findings focused on key challenges of children’s participation in governance, including adult mindsets, low capacity, and structural restrictions, and lessons learned on enabling factors, such as organisation-wide buy-in, and space and inclusion for children and young people. Further inquiry could inform the purpose, scope, and appropriateness of child participation in governance structures within child-focused organisations.

scholarly journals Discourses about Daily Activity Contracts: A Ground for Children’s Participation?

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Bosisio ◽  
Manuela Olagnero
Keyword(s):  
Daily Activity ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Speaking Up ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
The Family ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Children's Participation

The paper presents the findings of a secondary analysis of qualitative research conducted in Turin (Northern Italy) in 2012–2013 on autonomy and responsibility in the relationships between children and parents. A total of 46 parents and 48 children aged 9–13 were interviewed. The secondary analysis focuses on a specific section of the in-depth interview dealing with daily activity contracts. The aim is to investigate children’s participation in everyday life through children’s and parents’ narratives about daily activity contracts. Thematic analysis of this section of the interviews shows that children make room for acquiring such relational and dialogue skills as self-confidence and speaking up, which are recognized to be essential for any level and type of participation. Moreover, children’s and parents’ discourses on daily activity contracts provide an opportunity to “cultivate” participation and autonomy through a sort of alliance between parents and children in decision-making. The question is whether these dialogic attitudes and negotiation abilities are a resource not restricted to the family sphere but which extends to other areas of participation that go beyond the realm of private, protected, and reversible choices.

Children's Participation and International Development: Attending to the Political

2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Hart
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Participatory Development ◽  
Political Context ◽  
The Political ◽  
Societal Change ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Child Participation ◽  
International Child ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Children's Participation

AbstractSince the early 1990s participation has grown to become a key notion amongst child-focused international and intergovernmental development organisations. By means of participatory projects such bodies commonly seek to achieve transformation of children's lives. While considerable consideration has been given to the technical, institutional and attitudinal challenges to achievement of this goal, far less attention has been paid to the political context in which such transformation is sought. Drawing upon the emerging critique of (adult) participatory development, this article seeks to illustrate the inherent limitations of child participation resulting from the failure to confront the workings of power associated with capitalist expansion. It argues that societal change leading to the realisation of the rights of impoverished and marginalised children requires greater political will and new forms of alliance amongst international child-focused development organisations.

scholarly journals Den private religion: Fortolkninger af muslimske børns religiøse tilhørsforhold i en dansk folkeskole

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Marianne Holm Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
School Life ◽  
School Activities ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Private Matter ◽  
Teachers And Parents ◽  
Children's Participation ◽  
Role Of Religion

While the teaching of religion in the Danish folkeskole is a widely debated issue, there is little knowledge about how parents of Muslim background relate to the role of religion in the children’s daily school life. This article explores the meanings that teachers and parents at a school in the Danish province attribute to Muslim children’s religious backgrounds. Based on interviews with school leadership, teachers, parents and children, it particularly examines how they interpret the course ‘knowledge of Christianity’ and how they view the division of responsibility for teaching children about religion. It argues that while both parents and teachers understand religious belonging as a private matter that does not concern the school, they have different understandings of what this means and what it should imply for the children’s participation in school activities. The article further argues that the so-called encounter between ‘Muslim practices’ and ‘Danish values’ rather constitutes yet another example of negotiations that have always taken place in modern Danish society between the institutions of family and school.

scholarly journals Children’s participation, local policy and the digital environment: Visions and uses among Spanish municipalities

Comunicar ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (69) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana-María Novella-Cámara ◽  
Clara Romero-Pérez ◽  
Héctor-S. Melero ◽  
Elena Noguera-Pigem
Keyword(s):  
Ad Hoc ◽  
International Association ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Elected Officials ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Child Participation ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Children's Participation

Children's policies at the local level stimulate initiatives in the municipalities to encourage child participation. In this article, we focus on the local political sphere as a space for the promotion of child participation and citizenship through digital mediation. It is in this immediate environment where the rights of children and adolescents are exercised and promoted. The study aims to analyse the contributions perceived by municipal leaders (elected officials and technical figures) of the digital environment and the uses they make of it to promote children’s participation in the municipality. This study is part of a national project that includes as collaborating entities the International Association of Educating Cities (IACE) and Child Friendly Cities (CAI-Unicef). 279 subjects (191 technical figures and 88 elected officials) from 179 Spanish municipalities associated members of IACE and/or CAI. Data were collected in 2020. Two ad hoc designed questionnaires were applied. Two of the most significant results of the study are: (a) the finding of the variable that establishes differences between those technical figures that mediate children’s participation with technological environments and those that do not; (b) the use made of the digital environment as an interactive space for informational purposes. It concludes on the need to rethink the digital environment as a participatory area and increasing the use of technology in support of children’s citizenship. Las políticas de infancia a nivel local dinamizan en los municipios iniciativas para impulsar la participación infantil. En este artículo nos centramos en la política local como espacio promotor de participación y ciudadanía infantil a través de la mediación digital ya que es, en ese entorno inmediato, donde los derechos de la infancia y la adolescencia se ejercitan y se promueven. El estudio persigue analizar qué aportaciones perciben los referentes municipales (cargos electos y figuras técnicas) del entorno digital y qué usos hacen de él para impulsar la participación infantil en el municipio. Este estudio forma parte de un proyecto nacional que cuenta como entidades colaboradoras a la Asociación Internacional de Ciudades Educadoras (AICE) y Ciudades Amigas de la Infancia (CAI-Unicef). Han participado en él 279 sujetos (191 figuras técnicas y 88 cargos electos) procedentes de 179 municipios españoles asociados a AICE y/o CAI. Los datos fueron recabados en 2020. Se aplicaron dos cuestionarios diseñados ad hoc. Dos de los resultados más significativos del estudio son: a) el hallazgo de la variable que establece diferencias entre aquellas figuras técnicas que median la participación infantil con entornos tecnológicos y con las que no lo hacen; b) el uso que se hace del entorno digital como espacio interactivo con fines informativos. Se concluye en la necesidad de repensar el entorno digital como un espacio participativo e incrementar el uso de la tecnología al servicio de la ciudadanía infantil.

Professionals’ attitudes toward children’s participation: implementing educational reforms

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 502-510
Author(s):  
Eran Uziely
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Norm ◽  
Special Education Law ◽  
Child Participation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Educational Framework ◽  
Eighth Amendment ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Liberal Reform ◽  
Children's Participation

Purpose In Israel, the decision which educational framework is most suitable for pupils with special needs is made by a placement committee. In January 2005, the eighth amendment of the Israeli Special Education Law determined that all pupils have the legal right to participate in their placement committee’s deliberations. This paper aims to examine the implementation of this liberal reform that let young people’s voices be heard. Specifically, the focus is on the attitudes of involved professionals (committee chairs, educational supervisors, teachers, etc.) regarding the law, and whether and in what ways their views influence the extent to which this law is implemented. Design/methodology/approach The research used an eight-step linear scale to investigate both the desired and actual levels of children’s participation in the committee’s discussions, as evaluated by professionals. In addition, the pupils’ satisfaction with the discussion process was evaluated, based on the professionals’ perceptions. Furthermore, the research analyzed which socioeconomic, cultural and occupational variables correlated with the degree of students’ participation in and satisfaction with the process. Findings The major finding was that many of the adults responsible for the implementation of the reform do not believe in its principles and are even opposed to child participation. In their discussions, child participation was poor. Originality/value The conclusion drawn from the study is that legislation alone is not enough when implementing a controversial reform. Spreading of this new social norm must be accompanied by efforts to promote the concept of child participation among the professionals who implement it.

15. Children’s Participation in Family Proceedings

2021 ◽  
pp. 539-569
Author(s):  
N V Lowe ◽  
G Douglas ◽  
E Hitchings ◽  
R Taylor
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Public Law ◽  
Direct Participation ◽  
Children’S Participation ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Children’S Views ◽  
Children's Participation

This chapter considers the increasingly important question of children’s participation in proceedings concerning them. It evaluates children’s right to participate in proceedings both as a matter of domestic and international law. It then assesses the complex law as to how children’s views are ascertained and the circumstances in which children will be represented both in private and public law. It then turns to children’s direct participation in family proceedings including children’s ability to initiate proceedings.

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