FRSA Conference: Adelaide November 2014 More than just words:
towards meaningful participation
Slide 2
How are children and young people seen in the context of
services/ policy / research? The way children are seen has changed
remarkably over the past 20 years Adult centred perception of
childhood means children were rarely consulted and informed about
issues that affected them for their protection and because of their
perceived limited capacity New sociology of childhood has
reconceptualised childhood and its place in society Children and
young people as clients in their own right with needs and wishes
that are sometimes different to their parents / families. The
Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises that children and
young people have a right to participate: Article 12 - States
Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or
her own views the right to express those views freely in all
matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due
weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. 2
Slide 3
Helping the parent = helping the child Adults are best placed
to determine childrens needs Parents are the client, not children
Kids should be asked about stuff thats got to do with themThey can
tell you stuff youd never think of cos youre not a kid (11 yr old
boy, FTWH) Past Practice Assumptions 3
Slide 4
The purposes of children's participation to uphold children's
rights; to fulfil legal responsibilities; to improve services; to
improve decision making; to enhance democracy; to promote child
protection; to enhance children's skills; to empower and enhance
self-esteem (Sinclair and Franklin, 2000).
Slide 5
What do children say about participation? Children want to be
seen and heard A lack of information is scary Children & young
people want to participate At [one refuge], the workers would talk
to the kids as well as the parents but at others they didnt. It was
good when they talked to you treated you like a person. If they
just ignored you it made you feel weird (Boy, aged 11, Finding
their way home) You need to know whats going on. Where youre going
to stay, how long Or you freak out cos you dont know whats going
on. (Theyve gotta listen) Everyone else gets a say. Your worker
decides where you get put and your foster carer chooses if they
want to keep you. They even ask their kids. But what about us? Who
cares if we wanna stay or not? (Theyve gotta listen)
Slide 6
Children will only talk to people who are safe: Children and
young people felt that children would only approach safe adults who
they believed were friendly, who would believe their stories, and
help them deal with issues in a way that was respectful of them and
their families There should be stuff for kids: people they can talk
to about stuff and not worry that people are going to think bad of
their parents or get them in trouble. Kids wont tell unless they
know people are safe and theyre not going to help unless they think
people are going to do something to help (Young man, aged 14, Who
Cares?) 6
Slide 7
Barriers to participation: credibility Multiple studies where
children told adults about things in their lives and nothing
happened I dunno, Care and Protection did nothing. Nothing that we
can say I spoke to them once and they told me they went over there
for half an hour and that [Mum] seemed perfectly fine and I went
hmm mmm, whatever They wouldnt listen to me because I was still a
kid. It was my word against hers. (Who cares?)
Slide 8
Community Service system Organisation Program Client Individual
Child Children are recognised Children are listened to Children are
supported in expressing views Childrens views are taken into
account Children are involved in decision making Children share
power and responsibilities for decision making Assessments &
Case plans Childrens needs, wishes & hopes Program scope &
nature Staffing Feedback & evaluation Steering committees &
governance Youth councils & Research Community engagement
Participation occurs at different levels & times and in
different ways 8
Slide 9
Participation exists in day-to-day practice "It is clear that
listening to children, hearing children, and acting on what
children say are three very different activities... There have
always been people who have listened, sometimes there have been
people who have heard, and perhaps less often, those who have acted
wisely on what children have had to say" Roberts 2000 STRATEGIES:
Write participation into job descriptions and performance
contracts; Ensure that all programs are passed by children and
young people; and Allocate time to reflect on how successful you
have been implementing participation.
Slide 10
Participation occurs at every stage of program development and
delivery Participation occurs at: Needs Assessment Program
Development Community Ed & Advocacy Program Implementation
Program Evaluation Re-assessment of Need STRATEGIES: Steering
Committee supported by: Focus groups Questionnaires Research Teams
Consumer feedback
Slide 11
Participation opportunities are accessible Its like they dont
wanna know about us cos we cant read or write or cos they reckon
what weve got to say is not as good. (Susan, 15years) STRATEGIES:
Use a variety of mechanisms; Use young people as gatherers and
train them up; Dont make participation trivial; Develop
collaborations with other agencies to maximise access; Take into
account barriers (ie transport, time, respite); and Make sure that
participation is accessible to broad groups.
Slide 12
Children & young people feel comfortable participating
STRATEGIES: Using spaces that are youth and child-friendly; Avoid
unnecessary formality; Avoid exclusive language; Provide background
info so that they can prepare; Recognise & acknowledge all
participants Dont patronise or down-play experiences and insights.
It was relaxed it was like being a second home, comfortable like
some kids play room, stuff for little kids, it reminded me of my
little sisters room, it was homely. (YP2)
Slide 13
Participation should adapt to children and young peoples ways
of working More often than not organisations try to fit children
and young people into a decision-making framework designed by and
for adults. (NSW Commissioner for Children and Young People)
STRATEGIES: Appoint a child / YP co- chair; Recognise experts; Use
appropriate language; Choose youth-friendly spaces; and Provide
background information.
Slide 14
Respect and reward participation STRATEGIES: Identify and
celebrate outcomes; Provide training; Provide incentives; Publicly
acknowledge participation; and Provide feedback. They must feel
that their time and effort is valued
Slide 15
Participation needs to lead to change Our stories are too hard,
youve got to laugh about it or youre just gonna cry But you gotta
talk about it. And peopleve gotta listen and do something about it!
(Theyve gotta listen) They expect us to put in so much effort, its
such a drain, but then they dont do anything with it. (Theyve gotta
listen) 15