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FRSA Conference: Adelaide November 2014 More than just words: towards meaningful participation

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How are children and young people seen in the context of services/ policy / research? The way children are seen has changed remarkably over the past 20 years Adult centred perception of childhood means children were rarely consulted and informed about issues that affected them for their protection and because of their perceived limited capacity New sociology of childhood has reconceptualised childhood and its place in society Children and young people as clients in their own right with needs and wishes that are sometimes different to their parents / families. The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises that children and young people have a right to participate: Article 12 - States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. 2

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Helping the parent = helping the child Adults are best placed to determine childrens needs Parents are the client, not children Kids should be asked about stuff thats got to do with themThey can tell you stuff youd never think of cos youre not a kid (11 yr old boy, FTWH) Past Practice Assumptions 3

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The purposes of children's participation to uphold children's rights; to fulfil legal responsibilities; to improve services; to improve decision making; to enhance democracy; to promote child protection; to enhance children's skills; to empower and enhance self-esteem (Sinclair and Franklin, 2000).

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What do children say about participation? Children want to be seen and heard A lack of information is scary Children & young people want to participate At [one refuge], the workers would talk to the kids as well as the parents but at others they didnt. It was good when they talked to you treated you like a person. If they just ignored you it made you feel weird (Boy, aged 11, Finding their way home) You need to know whats going on. Where youre going to stay, how long Or you freak out cos you dont know whats going on. (Theyve gotta listen) Everyone else gets a say. Your worker decides where you get put and your foster carer chooses if they want to keep you. They even ask their kids. But what about us? Who cares if we wanna stay or not? (Theyve gotta listen)

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Children will only talk to people who are safe: Children and young people felt that children would only approach safe adults who they believed were friendly, who would believe their stories, and help them deal with issues in a way that was respectful of them and their families There should be stuff for kids: people they can talk to about stuff and not worry that people are going to think bad of their parents or get them in trouble. Kids wont tell unless they know people are safe and theyre not going to help unless they think people are going to do something to help (Young man, aged 14, Who Cares?) 6

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Barriers to participation: credibility Multiple studies where children told adults about things in their lives and nothing happened I dunno, Care and Protection did nothing. Nothing that we can say I spoke to them once and they told me they went over there for half an hour and that [Mum] seemed perfectly fine and I went hmm mmm, whatever They wouldnt listen to me because I was still a kid. It was my word against hers. (Who cares?)

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Community Service system Organisation Program Client Individual Child Children are recognised Children are listened to Children are supported in expressing views Childrens views are taken into account Children are involved in decision making Children share power and responsibilities for decision making Assessments & Case plans Childrens needs, wishes & hopes Program scope & nature Staffing Feedback & evaluation Steering committees & governance Youth councils & Research Community engagement Participation occurs at different levels & times and in different ways 8

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Participation exists in day-to-day practice "It is clear that listening to children, hearing children, and acting on what children say are three very different activities... There have always been people who have listened, sometimes there have been people who have heard, and perhaps less often, those who have acted wisely on what children have had to say" Roberts 2000 STRATEGIES: Write participation into job descriptions and performance contracts; Ensure that all programs are passed by children and young people; and Allocate time to reflect on how successful you have been implementing participation.

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Participation occurs at every stage of program development and delivery Participation occurs at: Needs Assessment Program Development Community Ed & Advocacy Program Implementation Program Evaluation Re-assessment of Need STRATEGIES: Steering Committee supported by: Focus groups Questionnaires Research Teams Consumer feedback

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Participation opportunities are accessible Its like they dont wanna know about us cos we cant read or write or cos they reckon what weve got to say is not as good. (Susan, 15years) STRATEGIES: Use a variety of mechanisms; Use young people as gatherers and train them up; Dont make participation trivial; Develop collaborations with other agencies to maximise access; Take into account barriers (ie transport, time, respite); and Make sure that participation is accessible to broad groups.

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Children & young people feel comfortable participating STRATEGIES: Using spaces that are youth and child-friendly; Avoid unnecessary formality; Avoid exclusive language; Provide background info so that they can prepare; Recognise & acknowledge all participants Dont patronise or down-play experiences and insights. It was relaxed it was like being a second home, comfortable like some kids play room, stuff for little kids, it reminded me of my little sisters room, it was homely. (YP2)

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Participation should adapt to children and young peoples ways of working More often than not organisations try to fit children and young people into a decision-making framework designed by and for adults. (NSW Commissioner for Children and Young People) STRATEGIES: Appoint a child / YP co- chair; Recognise experts; Use appropriate language; Choose youth-friendly spaces; and Provide background information.

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Respect and reward participation STRATEGIES: Identify and celebrate outcomes; Provide training; Provide incentives; Publicly acknowledge participation; and Provide feedback. They must feel that their time and effort is valued

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Participation needs to lead to change Our stories are too hard, youve got to laugh about it or youre just gonna cry But you gotta talk about it. And peopleve gotta listen and do something about it! (Theyve gotta listen) They expect us to put in so much effort, its such a drain, but then they dont do anything with it. (Theyve gotta listen) 15