Introduction

The theme of ‘participation’ infers a sense of involvement, citizenship, and agency. Here we look at the multidimensional nature of children’s participation and the many challenges that practitioners and children face. When thinking about these issues it will be important to reflect on your own assumptions and to critically evaluate relevant research, findings, and theory. This course, Children and young people's participation emphasize that the adoption of an integrated approach to participation by different sectors of the children's workforce is of crucial importance.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• Define the complexity of participation for children and young people
• Compare and contrast different cultural perspectives and experiences of participation
• Reflect critically on personal professional practice and assumptions regarding participation.