International perspectives and empirical findings on child participation :
from social exclusion to child-inclusive policies /
edited by Tali Gal and Benedetta Duramy.
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| Summary: | "The 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has inspired advocates and policy makers across the globe, injecting children's rights terminology into various public and private arenas. Children's right to participate in decision-making processes affecting their lives is the acme of the Convention and its central contribution to the children's rights discourse. At the same time the participation right presents enormous challenges in its implementation. Laws, regulations and mechanisms addressing children's right to participate in decision-making processes affecting their lives have been established in many jurisdictions across the globe. Yet these worldwide developments have only rarely been accompanied with empirical investigations. The effectiveness of various policies in achieving meaningful participation for children of different ages, cultures and circumstances have remained largely unproven empirically. Therefore, with the growing awareness of the importance of evidence-based policies, it becomes clear that without empirical investigations on the implementation of children's right to participation it is difficult to promote their effective inclusion in decision making. This book provides a much-needed, first broad portrayal of how child participation is implemented in practice today. Bringing together 19 chapters written by prominent authors from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Israel, the book includes descriptions of innovating programs that engage children and youth in decision-making processes, as well as insightful findings regarding what children, their families, and professionals think about these programs. Beyond their contribution to the empirical evidence on ways children engage in decision-making processes, the book's chapters contribute to the theoretical development of the meaning of "participation", "citizenship", "inclusiveness", and "relational rights" in regards to children and youth. There is no matching to the book's scope both in terms of the diversity of jurisdictions that it covers as well as the breadth of subjects. The book's chapters include experiences of child participation in special education, child protection, juvenile justice, restorative justice, family disputes, research, and policy making"-- "The overall goal of the book is to identify processes that allow children to engage in meaningful dialogue with others toward the achievement of optimal decisions. The book chapters provide a kaleidoscope of empirical findings regarding child-inclusive mechanisms practiced in different countries, cultures, and arenas, such as child-participation in school-related decisions, child-protection processes, restorative justice mechanisms, family disputes and courts. The various chapters consider both the ways children are included in dialogues and the levels of success of these processes. How do children experience various fora of decision-making? To what extent do children feel that they are able to express their views freely and that their viewpoints are given due weight, in accordance with their age and maturity? What kind of representation do they regard as empowering and effective? How important do children consider their ability to influence the outcome of the process? Who do they want to partake in decision-making mechanisms? These are only some examples of child-centered investigations toward effective child participation that the various chapters of this book aim at describing. Other chapters consider outcome variables focusing on the opinions of parents, professionals and family members regarding the way decision-making processes involve children"-- |
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published / Created: |
Oxford :
Oxford University Press,
2015.
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| Notes: | Includes index. Includes bibliographical references and index. Physical description: xviii, 480 pages ; 25 cm. more |
| ISBN: | 9780199366989 (hardback) 0199366985 (hardback) |