Child participation

Children have the right to be heard and have a say in all decisions affecting them, be that at home, in the community, at school or in individual legal and administrative matters. The Council of Europe places participation of children at the core of its children’s rights agenda. Child participation is a key strategic objective in the promotion of children’s rights and also a cross cutting approach that is mainstreamed into the organisation’s standard-setting, monitoring and sector specific work.

The Council of Europe Recommendation on participation of children and young people under the age of 18 was developed following comprehensive reviews of the reality of child participation in a number of member states and with the direct involvement of children in the work of the drafting Committee. The recommendation covers the rights of children and young people to be heard in all settings, including in schools, in communities and in the family as well as at the national and European level. It also contains guidelines member states are encouraged to follow in implementing the Recommendation such as protecting children and young people’s right to participate, promoting and informing children and young people about participation, and creating spaces for participation.

The Recommendation recognises Article 12 (respect for the views of the child) both as a fundamental right and as a general principle of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It further recognises that Article 12 is linked to all other articles of the UNCRC.

The Council of Europe Child Participation Assessment Tool provides specific and measurable indicators to measure progress in implementing the Recommendation on the participation of children and young people under the age of 18.

With the help of this tool, which was successfully tested in Estonia, Ireland and Romania, governments can ensure that children and young people within their countries can exercise their right to be heard, to be taken seriously and to participate in decision making in all matters affecting them.

States that are interested in using the Assessment Tool are invited to contact the Children’s Rights Division to express their interest.

Child Participation Assessment Tool

news on child participation

Back Eurochild Advocacy Toolkit: new publication aimed at promoting child participation, edited with Council of Europe support

Eurochild, a Brussels-based European network of organisations advocating for children’s rights, just published a new Toolkit with support from the Council of Europe.

The purpose of the Toolkit is to engage children and young people in advocating for children’s right to participate in decision-making processes; thus promoting child participation at different administrative levels and in various contexts, as also recommended by Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2012)2 on the participation of children and young people under the age of 18.

The kit includes tools and methods meant to empower children to contribute to change in public decision-making. It is in particular intended to be used by NGOs working with children and young people, including Eurochild members, but may also be useful for government officials at national, regional and local level, who want to engage with children and young people.

Starting off with defining the concept of child participation, including by pointing to existing references in this field, the toolkit provides guidance on how to engage children in public decision-making in a meaningful way and support in developing and implementing specific advocacy strategies.

Text of the Eurochild Advocacy Toolkit