Voice, views and the UNCRC Articles 12 and 13

Abstract

The voice of children aged 4 to 8 years is seldom heard in research circles, within the constraints of high-pressure academic model which is the current education system in England. Children are rarely listened to but expected to listen in the current normative societal cycle. This deficiency of active listening as an everyday occurrence impacts on children’s Mental Health. This article will give reference to an original empirical study, Hear Me and Listen. This study carried out in 2018 highlights the minimalistic practice of listening to children aged 4 to 8 years in the everyday. The research method used consisted of the Mosaic Approach. This approach provides various avenues for communication aside from the verbal. Data collected were analysed through a thematic approach. Themes which came from analysis included ‘This Is Me’, ‘Relationships’, ‘Environment’, ‘Curriculum’ and ‘Practitioners’. This article draws on this analysis and concludes that a change in the normative discourse of ‘hearing’ and not acting to one of ‘active listening’ and supporting is a path worth mapping.

Do Children Think it is Important to Predict Learning and Behaviour Problems, and Do They Think Genetic Screening Has a Role to Play in This?

“…Puppets have the potential to change young children’s attitudes and understanding of divergence, particularly when used in conjunction with other interventions which engage children in collaborative exercises, such as P4C (Dunst, 2014 ). The current study employed puppets to build playful and relaxed relationships with participants (Kröger & Nupponen, 2019 ) and to offer them an opportunity to freely and appropriately express themselves (Korosec, 2013 ) about their perspectives on children who learn or behave differently to themselves, and the potential of screening for learning and behaviour problems, and potentially forms of neurodivergence that may be associated with learning and behaviour problems, from infancy.…”

“…The study was designed using child-friendly methods (Aldridge, 2017 ) to elicit even very young children’s understanding of the aetiology of learning and behaviour difficulties, and their perceptions about screening for the probability of experiencing them at birth. It was designed on the understanding that responsible research and innovation requires us to listen to children’s views when planning the future use of DNA-based data so that we can (a) establish principles to avoid harm, (b) put appropriate regulation in place that aligns with children’s perspectives (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 ) and c) hear and act upon children’s views as key stakeholders in these discussions (Bradwell, 2019 ). The research questions were:…”

Barriers faced when eliciting the voice of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities for their Education, Health and Care Plans and Annual Reviews

“…Good practice involves providing continuous opportunities to elicit voice that go beyond gathering the preferences of children and young people. However, local authorities are often criticised for encouraging a ‘tick list culture’ (Bradwell, 2019), where voice is only heard when evidence is required. This seemingly tokenistic approach to eliciting voice suggests SEND professionals need to show a commitment to inclusion and person‐centred approaches (Skipp & Hopwood, 2016).…”

Do children think it is important to predict learning and behaviour problems, and do they think genetic screening has a role to play in this?

“…In these discussions, and in this planning process, it is important that children's voices are clearly heard and listened to alongside those of parents, practitioners, policymakers and experts. The current study was designed on the understanding that responsible research and innovation requires us to listen to children's views when planning the future use of DNA-based data so that we can (a) establish principles to avoid harm, (b) put appropriate regulation in place that aligns with children's perspectives (Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989) and c) hear and act upon children's views under the age of 10 years, as key stakeholders in these discussions (Bradwell, 2019).…”