A Unique Child: Children's rights - Give voice

Ten years ago, Save the Children asked me to write a book about young children's rights. How many of the rights in the 54 articles of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) apply to young children and babies? It is often thought that rights begin for children aged seven, 12 or 16 years.

'Provision' rights involve health, welfare and education, clean water and nutritious food, an adequate standard of living, and support for parents to enable them to give basic care to their children. 'Protection' rights guard against neglect, abuse, discrimination and violence. Everyone tends to support these rights for all children.

Yet, the so-called 'participation' rights are more debated, although they include some rights that especially apply at birth: the right to a name and nationality, to family life, to be registered and, therefore, to have access to state services - in other words to take part in the family, community and nation.

Participation rights also include freedoms to appropriate information, to thought, conscience and religion, to association and peaceful assembly. These mean, for example, that babies' families can hold religious meetings to celebrate their birth without fear of persecution or the police breaking up the meeting.

PARTICIPATION

The growing interest in participation owes much to the UNCRC. Save the Children works to promote the UNCRC as the ideal resource and tool for adults who care for and work for children. At its heart is Article 12: children's participation rights to form and express views on all matters that affect them and for 'due weight' to be given to their views 'according to their age and maturity'.

Ten years ago these rights were often dismissed even for older children, with attitudes such as 'if you leave children to decide for themselves they'll only do silly or dangerous things'; 'adults must decide for children'; 'children don't yet have views, not sensible ones anyway'.

Today, consulting children about services is almost routine at all levels, from local to national. Yet are adults listening to the youngest children and asking for their views? Is this worth trying to do? How do the children respond? Do they say anything worthwhile? And do adults take much notice, such as by using young children's views to inform and change policies and practices in services for them? These were some of the questions we asked in 1998 when we began to plan the book.

CONFIDENCE

I started by asking friends and colleagues for examples and by searching books, journals and semi-published newsletters. From around the world, examples arrived of children giving their views and participating in many activities. Anecdotes about one or two very young children expressing their views are often dismissed as untested, unproven and unreliable. But 'anecdote' really means 'not yet published'.

If you want to prove that all or most two-year-olds can do certain tasks, then you need to do large repeated studies. But if you want to disprove beliefs that all two-year-olds cannot do certain things, you only need a few examples of 'ordinary' (not genius) children who can achieve these things to make your point.

Practitioner and consultant Judith Miller (see Information) is one author who has shown through many practical examples how much children can achieve in early years settings when the staff really trust and encourage them. And when these examples are collected and published, they are no longer just anecdotes, but become resources to promote ways to respect and involve young children.

In 2000, the first edition of Young Children's Rights highlighted personal examples. I aimed to challenge and change widespread dismissive views about children's inabilities, and to suggest ways to increase their participation, in order to benefit children and adults. In 2008, the much-revised new edition reflects the far greater confidence and expertise among countless adults who regularly consult young children.

TRENDS

The book also shows how political and economic trends affect young children. One example is the 2.3 million children still living in poverty in England. Another example is the steep rise in the numbers of women and teenage parents in prison, which greatly affects their children. Only 5 per cent of children whose mother goes to prison are able to stay in their own home, so they may lose their friends and neighbourhood as well as their family life. Babies can stay with their mother in prison but have to leave her when still very young.

On taking part in decisions, I have worked slowly down the age groups, with examples of children's mature understanding and responsibility. Around 1990, I was amazed, during my research, to find some eight-year-olds being trusted by their parents and surgeons. They were involved in deciding whether or not to have major surgery on their legs or spine.

Recently, we have researched children who have Type 1 diabetes. (They are fit, healthy, slim children. Type 1 diabetes does not result from poor diet or lifestyle.) Some children aged from four years were able to do their own blood tests and twice daily injections of insulin. Some could be trusted to make their own hard choices about refusing sweet food.

At what age do children begin to express views? Our research with very premature babies observed how, from birth, babies remember and turn to their parents' voices, and struggle to move into comfortable positions, where they are better able to rest and sleep. Then they can gain energy to feed and grow and resist infection. Breastfeeding works best when mothers respond to their baby's 'views' on the pace and timing of feeds. Children can 'express a view' in body language, cries and smiles, not only in words.

This is far from the child taking part in formal decision-making and weighing choices. Yet the youngest baby can influence adults' decisions when they take 'due weight' of the baby's expressed 'views'. One hospital had a 'baby-led unit', where the staff really learn from the babies about the best kinds of care, setting and routines to provide for them.

BARRIERS

Although adults are listening much more to young children, there are still major barriers. These include:

Beliefs On beliefs, my book explores adults' assumptions and anxieties that it is somehow wrong, foolish, dangerous or even immoral to respect children's rights.

Structures These are closing in on many adults who would like to respect children more, with growing fears of risk. When I compare my own childhood with those of my children and grandchildren, I see many pressures which make it harder now for parents and professionals to allow children to be adventurous, however much they would like to trust them to be more 'free-range' and responsible for themselves. Professionals may carefully consult children but then find they are unable to act on their views to alter services.

Context The book gives examples of how very different life was and is a century ago, and in other countries today. Four-year-olds once walked freely around European towns and cities in ways we can hardly imagine now. Today's children are not less able, but they are no longer allowed to develop much of the skill, knowledge and experience they used to be expected to have.

These contrasts are described to help readers question how necessary the routines are in England today. I hope that my book will be useful to individuals and groups who are working with young children to promote respect for their rights.

Priscilla Alderson is Professor of Childhood Studies at the Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education. Details of her research reports are on www.ioe.ac.uk/ssru

INFORMATION:

- Alderson, P (2008) Young Children's Rights: exploring beliefs, principles and practice. London: Jessica Kingsley/Save the Children, revised second edition

- Works by Judith Miller include A Journey of Discovery: Children's creative participation in planning, Save the Children 1999

LINKS TO EYFS GUIDANCE

- 1.2 UC Inclusive Practice - Children's entitlements

- 1.3 UC Keeping Safe

- 5.2 L&D Activity Learning.