Understanding and Evaluating Children's Participation

From the Introduction

This document examines current approaches to the evaluation of children's participation in development. Its principal focus is on children's participation in local level activities, both child-led initiatives as well as community development processes involving adults and children together. It has been undertaken as a starting point for field-based research focussed on the identification of viable quality standards for organisations implementing participatory projects and a conceptual and practical framework for the monitoring and evaluation of such projects. The discussion is based on a review of existing organisational and academic literature on child participation across the globe, and is supplemented by interview testimonies from scholars and development workers with particular experience in this area.

The motivation for this review and research lay in a one-day seminar Plan UK hosted for the UK development community on 'Children's Participation in Development - Challenges andWays Forward' in March 2003. A clear need for further thought about the evaluation of participatory projects, was identified by participants in this seminar. The results of the research study, along with those of this review, will be discussed at a second conference on children's participation in November 2003.

Summary of the Review

Section One: Understanding Children's Participation

Part A gives a brief background to the concept of children's participation within development, and examines the fundamental motivations and understandings that have placed it on the agenda of so many organisations.

Part B looks at the process of children's participation itself, which is arguably as important for the focus of evaluation as the perceived outcomes and impacts.

Part C assesses the factors contributing to the success or failure of participatory programmes with children, including the social, political, cultural and economic context as well as organisational issues.

Section Two: Evaluating Children's Participation

Part A looks at four key realms in which the impact of children's participation may be sought and evaluated. These are referred to as 'individual', 'familial', 'communal' and 'institutional' realms.

Part B gives a broad overview of the main ethical concerns relating to the practice of evaluating children's participation.

Part C reviews current approaches to the evaluation of children's participation, and focuses on key issues such as the tools, objectives and methods that currently guide practitioners in this area.

In Areas for Further Discussion the authors identify some of the issues that are not fully explored by the literature and which would merit further research and consideration.

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