Children and young people's experiences of participation in decision-making at home, in schools and in their communities

Horgan, Deirdre; Forde, Catherine; Parkes, Aisling; Martin, Shirley

Children and young people's experiences of participation in decision-making at home, in schools and in their communities

Files

20150617ExperienceParticipation.pdf(4.19 MB)

Published version

Date

2015-06

Authors

Horgan, Deirdre

Forde, Catherine

Parkes, Aisling

Martin, Shirley

Publisher

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the extent to which children and young people, aged 7-17 and living in contemporary urban and rural Ireland, are able to participate and influence matters affecting them in their homes, schools and communities. The investigative focus of the study is shaped by Lundy’s (2007) conceptualisation of Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which focuses on space, voice, audience and influence. With this in mind, the objectives of this research are: to consider the extent to which children and young people have a voice and influence in matters affecting them at home, in their school and in the community where they live; to identify the facilitators and barriers to giving children and young people a voice and influence in matters affecting them in each of these settings; to examine the type of approaches used in each setting and identify examples of good practice; to distil key messages for consideration by parents and families, teachers, schools and communities in Ireland.

Keywords

Children , Young people , Participation , Home , School , Community , Ireland

Citation

Horgan, D., Forde, C., Parkes, A. and Martin, S. (2015) Children and young people's experiences of participation in decision-making at home, in schools and in their communities, Dublin: Department of Children and Youth Affairs. isbn:978-1-4064-2873-5