Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T11:30:49.086Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

With us, not to us Towards policy and program development in partnership with children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

David Vicary ,
Mike Clare ,
Judy Tennant  and
Tine Hoult
David Vicary
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Curtin University of Technology, WA Email: [email protected]
Mike Clare
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, University of Western Australia
Judy Tennant
Affiliation:
Children's Policy, Children and Family Services Department for Communities, WA
Tine Hoult
Affiliation:
Kulunga Research Network and School of Psychology, Curtin University of Technology, WA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Internationally, there is a growing trend for children and young people to participate in decisions affecting their lives (Bellamy 2002; Hart 1997). The active participation of children and young people is clearly articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). However, despite the international movement towards children's participation, there are precious few opportunities for Australian children and young people to contribute to policy and research debate in a sustainable manner. A review of the literature demonstrates that there are few ongoing research or policy advisory groups made up of children and young people, and those that are operational are generally auspiced by Children's Commissioners (e.g. New South Wales) and policy offices addressing the issues of children and young people.

In Western Australia, when children and young people are consulted, the dialogues tend to be short-term and issue-specific in nature. This paper will briefly discuss a number of techniques employed to engage Western Australian children and young people in dialogues about important issues affecting their lives. Using these examples, the barriers that challenge efficacious children's and young people's participation are discussed; finally, some suggested ways forward are delineated.

Type
Research Article
Information
Children Australia , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , 2009 , pp. 24 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bellamy, C. (2002) The state of the world's children – 2002, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Geneva, Switzerland.Google Scholar
Clare, M., Vicary, D., Skinner, A. & Mayes, S. (2006) A Western Australian consultation to develop a Charter of Rights for Children and Young People in Care, Wellington, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Cockbum, T. (2005) ‘Children's participation in social policy: inclusion, chimera or authenticity?’, Social Policy and Society, Vol. 4, No. 2, 109–119.Google Scholar
Hart, R. (1997) Children's participation, UNICEF, New York.Google Scholar
Lansdown, G. (2001) Promoting children's participation in democratic decision making, UNICEF, Innocenti Research Centre, Florence, Italy.Google Scholar
MacDougall, C., Derbyshire, P. & Schiller, W. (2004) Really listening to children: Their realities, worlds and play, OMEP, 21 -25 July, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Office for Children and Youth (2004) Conversations with Children: Teacher led workshops, current as 8 April 2008, WA Government, http://www.childrenandyouth.wa.gov.au/template.asp?cID=25 Google Scholar
Oliver, K.G., Collin, P., Bums, J. & Nicholas, J. (2006) ‘Building resilience in young people through meaningful participation’, Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 5(1).Google Scholar
Reddy, N. & Radna, K. (2002) A journey in children's participation, UNICEF.Google Scholar
Sheridan, S. & Samuelsson, I.P. (2001) ‘Children's conceptions of participation and influence in pre-school: A perspective on pedagogical quality’, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, Vol. 2, No. 2.Google Scholar
Tennant, J., Santa Maria, J., Vicary, D.A., Wadley, S. & Doncon, P. (2005) Engaging vulnerable children and schools through a Children's Advisory Group, Family and Community Strengths Conference, 6-8 December, University of Newcastle, Australia.Google Scholar
UN General Assembly (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b38f0.html.Google Scholar
Vićary, D.A. (2000) ‘A model of intervention’, in Dudgeon, P., Pickett, H., & Garvey, D., (Eds.), Working with Indigenous Australians: A handbook for psychologists, CIRC, Centre for Aboriginal Studies, Curtin University of Technology, 425–430.Google Scholar
Vicary, D.A (2003) Counselling as yarning: Aboriginal insights into western therapy. Proceedings of the 38th APS Annual Conference, Australia, 242–246.Google Scholar
Vicary, D. & Andrews, H. (2000) ‘Developing a culturally appropriate psychotherapeutic approach with Indigenous Australians’, Australian Psychologist, Vol. 35, No. 3, 1–5.Google Scholar
Vicary, D.A. & Andrews, H. (2001) ‘A culturally appropriate therapeutic process with an Aboriginal client: A case study’, Australian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 25, No. 4, 349–351.Google Scholar
Vicary, D.A & Bishop, B. (2005) ‘Western psychotherapeutic practice: What relevance to Aboriginal people?’ Australian Journal of Psychology, March, Vol. 40, No. 1, 8–19.Google Scholar
Vicary, D.A., Stilling, J., O'Meara, M.; Garvie, T., Guard, N. & Cronin, J. (2004) Cultural Grants Review, Office for Children and Youth and Healthway Foundation, Government of Western Australia Press, Perth.Google Scholar
Vicary, D.A., Tennant, J., Adupa, C., Milboune, S., Mayes, S., Miffling, K. & George, L. (2006) A Western Australian consultation to develop a Charter of Rights for Children and Young People in Care, Government of Western Australia Press, Perth.Google Scholar
Vicary, D.A., Tennant, J., Garvie, T. & Adupa, C., (2006) ‘Can you hear me? The active engagement of Aboriginal children in the development of social policy by non-aboriginals’, Children Australia, Vol. 31, No. 1, 21–26.Google Scholar
Vicary, D., Tennant, J., Santa Maria, J. & Wadley, S. (2005) ‘Children as decision makers’, Children Australia, Vol. 30, No. 4, 4–10.Google Scholar
Westerman, T. (2002) Screening of Western Australian Aboriginal Youth at Risk, unpublished dissertation, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia.Google Scholar
Westerman, T. & Vicary, D.A. (2004) ‘That's just the way he is: Some implications for Aboriginal mental health beliefs’, Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, Vol. 3, No. 3, 1–10.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, J. (2000) Children and participation: Research, monitoring and evaluation with children and young people, UNICEF.Google Scholar