Explore a curated collection of information and reports on children's participation, sourced from external organizations. Please note that these resources may not necessarily reflect our project's views or endorsements.
Latest Information & Reports
OECD: What does child empowerment mean today?
The OECD have recently launched their new piece of research ‘What does child empowerment mean today?’. Click here to find out more.
Co-constructing research
This critical literature review was written as part of the project Co-Design: Learning Reflections, part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s (AHRC) Connected Communities programmes and explores the topic of co-construction in research.
Young Children’s Voices: Key Evidence from the UK
This PDF from Save the Children’s ‘Young Children’s Voices’ series provides best practice evidence from across the UK including case studies and introductions to child-centered approaches
Young Children’s Voices: Challenges
This PDF from Save the Children’s ‘Young Children’s Voices’ series highlights some challenges associated with listening to the voices of young children.
Young Children’s Voices: Benefits of Listening to Young Children’s Voice
This PDF from Save the Children’s ‘Young Children’s Voices’ series highlights the benefits of listening to children. Impacts include on the child themselves, the home environment, in settings and in the policy context.
Young Children’s Voices: Importance of Young Children’s Voice
This PDF from Save the Children’s ‘Young Children’s Voices’ series highlights the importance of listening to young children in both the UK and European policy context, as well as relating it to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Young Children’s Voices: How to write a child-friendly document
This guide from Save the Children provides step-by-step guidance on writing a child-friendly document and provides useful resources to aid the process.
Young Children’s Voices: Definition
This PDF from Save the Children’s ‘Young Children’s Voices’ series defines child voice through examples and introduces readers to the Lundy Model of Participation.
Young Children’s Voices: Practice Standards for Participation
This PDF from Save the Children’s ‘Young Children’s Voices’ series lays out 7 Practice Standards for participation.
Save the Children: Young Children’s Voices
A link to Save the Children’s ‘Young Children’s Voices’ page. Includes PDF’s and external resources on a variety of topics such as participation standards, benefits of listening to young children’s voices and examples of good practice across the UK.
Embedding Play in Youth Settings
Guidance for youth workers on how to develop play in their settings.
Let Me Play – An Inclusive Play Park Study
This report is intended to inform policy makers about the lived experiences of families regarding their experience of fixed play parks.
Our Voices Matter: Summary Report
This summary report details the results of a research project conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, designed to capture their voices and opinions on the pandemic.
Playboard Annual Review 2023
This report from Playboard sets out the work they have undertaken over the year April 2022 to March 2023
Welsh Parliament – Children., Young People and Education Committee: The Welsh Government’s Draft Budget 2024-25
This report from the Children, Young People and Education Committee has laid out its report in response to the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget. You can read the report here.
Early childhood play, learning and care in Wales
Developed through co-construction by practitioners, for practitioners - these resources provide guidance for childcare, play settings and schools on early childhood play, learning and care for 0–5-year-olds in Wales.
Characterization and co-design process of a Child Participation Platform
This infographic designed by the ImCitizen project provides assistance in the initiation and implementation of Child Participation Platforms in several different contexts.
Children as trainers on children’s rights: Our toolbox
This toolbox created by ImCitizen has been developed by Spanish children aged 10-12 who experimented with engaging and effective ways to raise awareness of children's rights among their schoolmates.
Children’s Commissioner for Scotland: Your rights, our plan
This resource pack from the Children’s Commissioner for Scotland is designed to help adults support children and/or young people to think about and discuss the issues that are most important to them.
Early Childhood Education and Care wiki
The ECEC wiki offers a variety of resources and documents on children’s rights and early childhood education and care.
The Russian aggression against Ukraine – Displaced children finding protection in the EU - Bulletin 3
Building on two bulletins that came before it – this bulletin ‘explores the respect, protection and fulfilment of the fundamental rights of displaced children and ways to safeguard their rights’.
Assessing of learner competences: policies and practices to support successful and inclusive education
This new thematic report provides guidance on making classroom-based assessment more inclusive and integrated.
European Court of Human Rights - climate change and child rights
This press release reports on a hearing based on a lawsuit filed against 32 governments by six children and young people. The children accuse the countries of insufficient action over climate change and a failure to reduce greenhouse gases in line with the Paris Agreement
Children’s Commissioner for Wales: Three Year Strategy
Find out more about the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’ 2023-26 plan to help make life better for children in Wales.
Policy Positions on Key Children’s Rights issues
Find out here about Welsh Government’s position on some key children’s rights issues.
Ambitions for Wales findings
See here for the findings from the Welsh Government’s Ambition for Wales survey. Findings have helped shape a 3 year plan for Wales.
Ambitions for Wales – Stories for adults to use with children aged 2-7 year old
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales has provided these story prompts for teachers and practitioners to elicit responses from children on their own views about their rights.
Two prompts have been provided – one for 2–3-year-olds, and another for 4–7-year-olds.
OECD Education Working Paper: Child participation in decision making: Implications for education and beyond
This report looks at children’s participation in decision making and includes descriptions and discussions of existing research, models and policy in the field.
Make a Difference – A young person’s guide to taking action
A young person's guide to taking action helps young people to raise their voice about the issues that matter to them.
UNICEF - The Right to Participation is one of the most important principles in becoming a Rights Respecting School
UNICEF state that participation of children and young people (which is one of the General Principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child) and it plays a fundamental role in realising all the rights in the Convention for all children.
Froebelian Principles poster
This poster produced by the Frobel Trust summarises Froebel’s principles and is a useful resource to display in classrooms and settings.
Froebel's principles and practice today
This pamphlet produced by the Frobel Trust introduces practitioners to a Froebelian perspective and how they can be applied to classrooms and settings today.
UNICEF: Hate speech and children’s rights podcast
This podcast series from UNICEF discusses hate speech and its impact on children’s rights.
Child Rights Education toolkit
This toolkit designed for governments, NGOs and human rights practitioners defines child rights education and the child rights approach as well as explaining the range of contexts where child rights education can take place
For every child, every right: The Convention on the Rights of the Child at a crossroad.
This report is intended to be both celebratory, appreciating the achievements made since the publication of the UNCRC but also offers a critical viewpoint highlighting the work that is yet to be done.
Children’s Rights education with children aged 0-6 years
This discussion paper reports on the findings of a literature review on child rights education with young children
Children's Rights: Kahoots
The UN have created these interactive quizzes on children’s rights that can be used as a fun and informative activity in the classroom.
UNCRC: Information for children
This page from the UN website introduces children to the UNCRC – includes videos to watch.
Flip the script
This set of lessons plans focus on giving students the opportunity to create and teach their own lessons
Transforming education survey
Read this report on the Transforming Education Survey – a survey administered to students aged 7-18 to share their views on education and how it can be transformed
The World’s Largest Lesson - Introduction
A link to the ‘The World’s Largest Lesson’ website, a scheme that is in partnership with UNICEF and Unesco which aims to teach children all over the world about the Global Goals
Child-Friendly Version of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment ‘Children’s Rights and the Environment’
This document created in collaboration between Queen’s University Belfast and the UN is a child-friendly version of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, Mr John H Knox’s report on 'Children's Rights and the Environment'.
Child-Friendly Version of the EU Recommendation on Investment in Children
Launched at EuroChild 2016, this resource is a child-friendly resource of the EU Recommendation on Investment in Children
The European Union’s Plan for Children’s Rights
Professor Laura Lundy, Dr Bronagh Bryne and Dr Michelle Templeton from Queen’s University Belfast worked together with children to create these child-friendly versions of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child
Public Budgets: How Governments Should Spend Money for Children’s Rights
This child friendly resource provides advice from the United Nations on governmental bodies should spend money on matters related to children’s rights
Participation for Protection resources
These resources were designed by children (alongside the Centre for Children’s Rights) for children to help explain what violence is and how to get help if they experience it.
Online Training Resources – United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
These online training videos, aimed at professionals, were produced by the Centre for Children’s Rights and will provide an introductory overview of the UNCRC.
School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queens: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
This video produced by Queen’s University Belfast introduces students to what the UNCRC is, where it came from and why it matters
How Involving Children and Young People Can Positively Transform Your Service
This report produced by Peer Power provides outputs from a project they were commissioned to undertake by the Youth Justice Board. Includes a research report, a younger reader summary report and resources designed to help practitioners in the youth justice sector.
Community Ambassadors
Follow the link to find out more about ‘Community Ambassadors’ - a volunteering program led by children and young people in Wales
Super Ambassadors
Follow the link to find out more about ‘Super Ambassadors’ - the Children’s Commissioner for Wales scheme to promote children’s rights in schools
Our Plan for all Children and Young People 2019-22: Evaluation.
This report produced by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales details their plan for all children in Wales from the years 2019-2022
Children’s Commissioner for Wales: A Children’s Rights Approach to Education in Wales
A link to all the resources provided by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales for incorporating a Children’s Rights Approach when working with children
Children’s Commissioner for Wales: A Children’s Rights Approach to Additional Learning Needs
A link to all the resources provided by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales for incorporating a Children’s Rights Approach when working with children with additional learning needs
Ambition to Action: a summary report
This evaluation report produced by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales aims to understand what has been done to achieve the goal of The Right Way
Children’s Commissioner for Wales: Training
A link to all training provided by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales on children’s rights.
A Children’s Rights Approach to Social Care in Wales
A link to all the resources provided by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales for incorporating a Children’s Rights Approach to Social Care in Wales
Children’s Commissioner for Wales: Why are children’s rights important?
This YouTube video sees the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’ office visit All Saints Primary School in Barry to ask them about their views on children’s rights
Children’s Commissioner: Right of the Month
This YouTube series created by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales introduces children to a new UNCRC right every month
Children’s Commissioner for Wales: Tips from our participation team
This YouTube playlist from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales provides advice to parents, teachers and anybody who is involved with children on play activities.
Children's Commissioner for Wales: Children's Rights
This bilingual YouTube video created by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales is a great classroom resource to introduce children to their rights.
Are we there yet? Our rights, our say
Watch this video produced by the four Children’s Commissioner officers based on a report on engagement with children and young people
World Children’s Day: Letter to children from Minister for Children and Families
See here a letter from the Minister for Children and Families addressed to the children of England on World Children Day 2021
Resources for children and young people: Annual round-up
The Children’s Commissioner for England has produced a round-up of all the resources they have produced over the last year related to children and young peop
Spotify: UNICEF
A link to UNICEF’s Spotify page where you can access their podcast series ‘The Future of Childhood’
Bringing children's rights into Scottish law
This seminar hosted by the University of Edinburgh focuses on the implementation of children’s rights in Scotland –and developing systems of child-friendly complaints, remedy and redress
How to Child Rights
Follow the link to visit the ‘How to Child Rights’ page. The page provides a series of high-quality tools and guidance on all things related to children’s rights.
Scottish Government: Introduction to children’s rights: training tool
The Scottish Government have put together this Introductory training resource on children’s rights. A PowerPoint presentation can be found at the bottom of the webpage.
How to Advance Children’s Rights using Recommendations from United Nations and Regional Human Rights Monitoring and Review Processes
Developed as part of the ‘How to Child Rights’ series, this toolkit from Save the Children provides a step-by-step plan of activities, case studies and practical tips based on UNCRC recommendations to strengthen work with children.
Wales Civil Society Report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child to inform their List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPR)
This report was prepared by the Wales UNCRC Monitoring Group to inform the UN List of Issues Prior to Reporting
Children’s Rights Poster for the Early Years
This poster is for Early Years practitioners and sets out how different articles in the UNCRC can be adhered to in the classroom.
How to Advance Children’s Rights using Recommendations from United Nations and Regional Human Rights Monitoring and Review Processes
This toolkit produced by Save the Children aims to empower civil society practitioners to follow-up, use and make the most of recommendations to children’s rights made by International and regional human rights bodies.
Report of the Children’s Commissioners of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Children’s Commissioners of the devolved nations of the UK have submitted a report to the UNCRC to set out the work they have done attending to children’s rights. Follow the link to access to the report as well as access child friendly resources produced as a result of the report.
The Children’s Commissioner’s submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Children’s Commissioner for England has submitted a report to the UNCRC on children’s rights in England. Follow the link to access to the report as well as access child friendly resources produced as a result of the report.
Understanding Children's Human Rights - A Guide for Public Services in Scotland
This resource is aimed at those working in public bodies in Scotland, including local authorities and health boards, who are interested in learning more about children’s rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
How to Advance Children’s Rights using Recommendations from United Nations and Regional Human Rights Monitoring and Review Processes
This toolkit produced by Save the Children aims to empower civil society practitioners to follow-up, use and make the most of recommendations to children’s rights made by International and regional human rights bodies.
Report of the Children’s Commissioners of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Children’s Commissioners of the devolved nations of the UK have submitted a report to the UNCRC to set out the work they have done attending to children’s rights. Follow the link to access to the report as well as access child friendly resources produced as a result of the report.
The Children’s Commissioner’s submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Children’s Commissioner for England has submitted a report to the UNCRC on children’s rights in England. Follow the link to access to the report as well as access child friendly resources produced as a result of the report.
State of Children's Rights Webinar series for 2022
This past webinar series from Together Scotland aimed to gather information about the state of children's rights in Scotland. Information gained from the webinar series was used to write a report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to provide insight on what things are like for children and families in Scotland
Child Participation Assessment Tool
ExChange Wales have produced this assessment tool measuring progress in promoting the right of children and young people under the age of 18 to participate in matters of concern to them
Children’s Voices in a Pandemic: Looking Forwards
This blog written by Dr Sara Williams (Senior Lecturer in Environmental Psychology at UWE) discusses the key messages from her study on disadvantaged children in Bristol and their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic
Children's Parliament: Rights based practice in the early years
This link to the Children’s Parliament website provides a variety of resources such as videos, checklists and webinars on rights based practice in the early years.
Embedding Children’s rights into everyday practice: Case Study
This case study from a nursery practitioner details how their setting embedded children’s rights into their everyday nursery practice.
Children's Rights Activities for Early Years Settings
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales has designed an activity pack for early years settings to introduce the UNCRC to children.
Books that link to Children's Rights
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales has put together this list of picture books that apply to different Articles in the UNCRC.
UNCRC: Symbols Resource
This pack from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales provides a visual representation of each Article in the UNCRC for children, each designed in symbol form
Research with schools on the early implementation of Curriculum for Wales: Wave 1 report
This report from Welsh Government presents findings from 64 senior school leaders on their early experiences of the CfW roll-out.
Starcatchers:Engagement Signals Reflective Practice template
This template produced by the Scottish organisation ‘Starcatchers’ is designed for early years practice and provides a list of various engagement signals in young children when engaging in the expressive arts experiences.
Voice of the Infant: Best Practice guidelines and infant pledge
This best practice guidance produced on behalf of the Infant Mental Health Implementation and Advisory Group suggests ways in which to consider infants’ views and rights in all encounters they may have .
A Quality Framework for Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care in Wales
Drawing on national and international research, this framework draws upon various requirements for delivering the type of high-quality provision needed in Wales.
Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care: Reflective Practice Toolkit
This Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care: Reflective Practice Toolkit (Toolkit) has been developed to support individuals and teams to reflect on the quality of early childhood play, learning and care.
Early childhood play, learning and care: Developmental pathways 0 to 3
This guidance document sets out a framework for ensuring quality provision for children aged 0-3 years old. The document sets out the five developmental pathways and has been co-constructed with practitioners.
Raising awareness of children’s rights
This report published by Welsh Government sets out how they will inform the public on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Resources linked to the Right Way principles (BILINGUAL)
The Children’s Commissioner has put together this bilingual document filled with links to all of their resources linked to The Right Way principles
The Right Way: Practitioner Self-Assessment
This self-assessment tool for practitioners sets out each of the five Right Way principles, with associated actions to support the implementation of a human rights approach to education.
Human Rights in the Curriculum for Wales
This report from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales sets out how human rights link to the four purposes, cross cutting themes and each of the six Areas and Learning and Experience in the Curriculum for Wales.
Children’s participation in decision making: A Children’s Views resource
This report from the Children’s Rights Alliance for England was created with children themselves and explores children’s participation in decision making at school, their local area and their views on participation in general.
We Are Here: A Child Participation toolbox
This toolbox created by Eurochild is for anybody looking to implement and strengthen child participation in their area of work. The toolbox provides practical guides to encourage meaningful participation from children.
Voice of the Baby: Exploring rights-based approaches for participation using the arts with babies and young children from birth-3 years
This summary report describes the results of Phase 1, of a larger research project. Phase 1 explores current and emerging rights-based approaches in the arts for children aged birth to 3 in Scotland.
Children's Rights Scheme 2021
This report from the Welsh Government sets out the amended Children’s Rights Scheme that all government members must adhere to.
The Children’s Rights Scheme 2021: Children and Young People’s version
A Child friendly resource produced by the Welsh Government on their Children’s Rights Scheme
Right of the Month
This resource from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales is aimed at Foundation Phase, KS2 and KS3 aged children and provides activities related to a UNCRC ‘Right of the Month’
How listening develops and affects well-being throughout childhood
This paper published by UNICEF explores theoretical perspectives of children’s listening and how it interacts with overall child wellbeing.
The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Years Education
Support document from ‘Learning and Teaching Scotland’ on the Reggio Approach to education.
Children's Commissioner for Wales: Right of the Month
This resource produced by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales contains activities for Foundation Phase, KS2 and KS3 aged children, related to a UNCRC ‘Right of the Month’.
The Right Way: A Children’s Human Rights Approach to Education in Wales
This report, produced by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, sets out the ‘The Right Way’ framework for supporting practitioners in developing a human rights approach to education.
Children’s Participation Rights – Looking backwards and moving forwards
This review published by the International Journal of Children’s Rights, looks at trends in academic research on children’s participation over the last thirty years.
Children and Young People’s Participation Standards – Bilingual Poster
This bilingual poster produced by the Welsh Government describes the Seven Standards for Children and Young People’s participation, highlighting what the Welsh Government will do in response to these standards.
Children and Young People’s Participation: Good Practice guide
This resource from the Welsh Government, aimed at practitioners, and anybody who works with children, provides best practice guidelines for children’s participation.
7 Golden rules for participation – Childrens Commission for Scotland
Follow this link to access a child friendly resource produced by the Children’s Commissioner for Scotland on the ‘7 Golden Rules for Participation’. Includes prompts for both children and adults to think about.
Listen and Change. A Guide to Children and Young People’s Participation Rights
This is a guide provided by Save the Children on children and young people’s participation rights.
Council of Europe – Child Participation Rights
A link to the Council of Europe’s section of their website on Children’s Participation.