Children must be provided with full, accessible, diversity-sensitive, and age-appropriate information about their right to express their views freely, and their views must be given due weight. Adults must also tell children how their participation will take place, and explain its scope, purpose, and potential impact.

Children should never be forced to express their views against their wishes. They should be informed that they can cease involvement at any stage.

Children’s views must be treated with respect, and children should be provided with opportunities to initiate ideas and activities. Adults working with children should acknowledge, respect, and build on good examples of children’s participation (for instance, in their contributions to the family, school, culture, and work environment). They also need an understanding of the socio-economic, environmental, and cultural context of children’s lives.

The issues on which children have the right to express their views must be of real relevance to their lives and enable them to draw on their knowledge, skills, and abilities. In addition, children should be able to highlight and address the issues they themselves identify as relevant and important.

Environments and working methods should be adapted to children’s capacities. Adequate time and resources should be made available to ensure that children are adequately prepared and have the confidence and opportunity to contribute their views. Consideration needs to be given to the fact that children will need differing levels of support and forms of involvement according to their age and evolving capacities.

Participation must be inclusive, avoid existing patterns of discrimination, and encourage opportunities for marginalised children, including both girls and boys, to be involved. Children are not a homogenous group and participation needs to provide for equality of opportunity for all, without discrimination on any grounds. Programs also need to ensure that they are culturally sensitive to children from all communities.

Adults need preparation, skills, and support to facilitate children’s participation effectively, to provide them with, among other things, listening skills, working jointly with children, and engaging children effectively in accordance with their evolving capacities. Children themselves can be involved as trainers and facilitators regarding how to promote effective participation. They require capacity-building to strengthen their skills related to such tasks as effective participation, maintaining awareness of their rights, organising meetings, raising funds, dealing with the media, public speaking, and advocacy. Item description

In certain situations, expression of views may involve risks. Adults have a responsibility towards the children with whom they work and must take every precaution to minimise exposing children to the risk of violence, exploitation, or any other negative consequence of their participation. Action necessary to provide appropriate protection will include the development of a clear child safeguarding strategy which recognizes the particular risks faced by some groups of children, and the extra barriers they face in obtaining help. Children must be aware of their right to be protected from harm and know where to go for help if needed.

A commitment to follow-up and evaluation is essential. Children are entitled to receive feedback on how their participation has influenced any outcomes. Wherever appropriate, children should be given the opportunity to participate in follow-up processes or activities. Monitoring and evaluation of children’s participation should be conducted, where possible, with children themselves.