Why do participation?

In 1989, the United Nations adopted a human rights treaty for children (all those aged 17 and under) called the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Convention sets out all the things young people need to lead a fulfilling and dignified life, including the right to be heard and taken seriously.

Although the emphasis on encouraging young people to participate has increased, the number of children and young people participating from hard to reach groups is still low. This is a challenge to all services; how do they include all children and young people in the planning, delivery and monitoring of services?

In December 1991 the UK Government approved the Convention. In doing so, it agreed to make these rights a reality for all children and young people in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The government has expressed reservations about Articles 10 and 37 and therefore does not uphold them.

As well as the Convention, there is a growing range of policies and legislation that further shape children and young people's right to be heard, this includes:

• The National Youth Agency's 'Hear by right' policy has been introduced to improve services for children and young people. 'Hear by right' is a tried and tested standards framework for organisations across the statutory and voluntary sectors to assess and improve practice and policy on the active involvement of children and young people in their services.