Listening to children and young people back to Children' Services home page

Compiled by Eleanor Ireland, Gabrielle White and Tamsin Chamberlain

What does the future hold for the participation of children and young people in decisions that affect their lives? An event co-sponsored by the NFER brought together experts and young people to find out.

Children's rights to express their views and to be heard in matters that affect them is now enshrined in law (Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child).

Since 1989 there have been major developments within public policy and research to try to increase the voice of children and young people.

The perspectives of children and young people play a key role in many of the projects undertaken throughout the NFER. Without the valuable thoughts, ideas, opinions, viewpoints and information that thousands of children and young people regularly provide us with, much of the research that we do would not be possible.

Some examples of projects involving children and young people at the NFER are detailed below:

• Including children’s perspectives to understand transition
• Listening to young people’s narratives on choices
• Consulting with children and young people for Local Authorities
• Pupil perspectives on healthy schools
• Young people's views on citizenship education
• Engaging young people in local democracy

NFER has compiled several reading lists on the following subjects

Involving children and young people
Research with children and young people
Children & young people as researchers
Pupil voice: school councils

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