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 Opportunity to coordinate child participation at the next Council of Europe Children’s Rights conference

The Council of Europe is holding a call for applications from international NGOs / international consultants to prepare, coordinate and implement child participation at its upcoming Children’s Rights conference. The conference will mark the mid-term evaluation of the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021). It will be held on 13-14 November 2019 in Strasbourg, France.

The service provider will be expected to perform their tasks in close collaboration with the Children’s Rights Division of the Council of Europe. Tasks may include, but are not limited to:

Conceptualising the child participation process
Identifying and reaching out to participating children
Engaging and recruiting a facilitating team
Preparing the children for the conference
Accompanying them during the conference
Gaining feedback from the children and drawing up a report on the event

It is foreseen that the children will take active part in the conference and its sessions, including as expert speakers. Please refer to the concept note and tender file for further details.

A specific budget is available to cover all aspects of this activity, including service provider fees and material expenses.

The preparatory phase of the child participation process should start on 01/08/2019, with the follow-up (reporting) phase extending no further than 31/12/2019.

Candidates are invited to submit a proposal of maximum 2 pages outlining a draft concept for the project and a work plan, along with an act of engagement duly completed (including a cost estimate).

Applications should be submitted by email before 25 July 2019 to [email protected] by specifying “Child participation - proposal” in the subject line.

Concept note