A space for critical thinking about
children's and young people's participation

WHAT IS THE NETWORK?

The Children’s and Young People’s Participation Learning Network seeks to stimulate thinking, policy and practice concerning children’s and young people’s participation.

	Promotes critical learning between practitioners, policy-makers, academics and other researchers, and children and young people
	Develops and promotes new ways of thinking about participation
	Supports exchange between Network members, to promote collaboration and joint-working
	Shares research, critical learning and other developments
	Liaises with other networks throughout the UK and beyond, to influence policy and practice

The Network provides a 'space' for critical thinking and innovation concerning children's and young people's participation. It complements other initiatives – such as the 'Participation Works' Practice Centre being coordinated by the Carnegie Young People Initiative – which seek to provide knowledge and support for participatory work.

The Network brings together practitioners, policy-makers, academics and other researchers. Children and young people themselves are seen as experts and are thus involved in the Network. Network members are concerned about the extent to which children's and young people's participation brings about meaningful outcomes for them. So often children are consulted but nothing changes. Emphasis also tends to be placed on 'participation in decision making' to the neglect of other forms of participation. Through critical dialogue, the Network seeks to 'open up' alternative perspectives on participation. As an initial guiding principle the Network holds that:

Participation should be concerned with the lived lives of children and young people, it needs to be inclusive, and it needs to be transformative.

Engaging in critical dialogue is thus timely, in order to enhance the impact and effectiveness of children’s participation in all sections of society.

The Network asks questions such as:

	What affects how organisations and practitioners respond to children's and young people's views?
	What happens when children's and young people's views collide with adult views and agendas?
	What do children and young people gain from being involved in research and decision making? What are their agendas for research?
	How effective can children's and young people's participation be, when they are involved in settings which are not participatory?
	How does children and young people's participation fit with wider discussions about (active) citizenship, social action and civic society?
	To what extent can children's and young people's 'participation' address exclusion?
	Who is included or excluded by particular forms of participation?

WHAT DOES THE NETWORK DO?

The Network supports a range of activities which stimulate thinking and practice concerned with the participation of children and young people. The Network relies on the initiative and commitment of individuals and organisations to share and learn across the Network.

Activities of the network include:

* Seminars and events
* Research and development
* Networking
* email list and Website

The website provides a space for people to share information, news, details of events and recent projects across the network. This will include summaries and outcomes from Network seminars and events.

If you would like to post information or resources on the website please email:
barry.percy-smith@uwe.ac.uk


The Network has an email list - with a rapidly growing membership - to facilitate communication between Network members. The purpose of the email list is to:

	encourage sharing, exchange, critical reflection and dialogue which supports development of thinking and practice with respect to children and young peoples participation.
	for sharing news about events and development in the field.

 

Colleagues are encouraged to use this list to stimulate discussion about childrens participation and circulate news and views.

If you wish to subscribe to the email list for the Children's Participation Learning Network, please go to:
Child Participation Network and 'click' on subscribe

Any queries regarding this list server to: barry.percy-smith@uwe.ac.uk




HOW WILL THE NETWORK DEVELOP IN THE FUTURE?

The Network has evolved as a collaborative initiative involving individuals, academics and practitioners from a range of organisations. Currently, the Network is supported administratively by SOLAR at University of the West of England.

The Network is developing a steering group to manage, monitor and coordinate the Network. If you are interested in being part of the steering group, please contact Barry Percy-Smith (SOLAR) or Kay Tisdall (University of Edinburgh).

We welcome suggestions of opportunities to collaborate across the Network either through raising critical issues and dilemmas to focus meaningful inquiry and debate or through other research and practice based work.

We would also welcome opportunities to develop links with individuals, projects and organisations engaged in participatory work with children and young people in contexts beyond the UK, both across Europe and Globally.

The first steering group met as a 'working group' on June 20th. Click here for notes from Steering group meeting.

INTERESTED IN THE NETWORK?

If you would like to join the e-mail list for the Network, to keep up to date on news, events and developments and to engage in discussions about participation, please go to:
Child Participation Network

or if you have any other administrative questions, please contact:
Barry.percy-smith@uwe.ac.uk

If you have questions about the Network or if you wish to discuss its activities or how you might contribute, please contact:

Barry Percy-Smith (++44 1604 246 926, barry.percy-smith@uwe.ac.uk)

Or

Kay Tisdall (+44 131 650 3930, K.Tisdall@ed.ac.uk)