Listen - Act - Change

the Council of Europe has developed the Handbook on children’s participation for professionals working for and with children, to support professionals of various backgrounds in implementing the Council of Europe Recommendation on the participation of children and young people under the age of 18 and Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Handbook to be launched on 21 January 2021 is a practical step-by-step tool which explains the concept of child participation in theory and in practice, while guiding professionals through its implementation in different settings.

In particular, it sets the ground for developing participatory environments in institutions working with children or providing services to them – schools, early childhood education centres, hospitals and others – and reaching out to children in different ways, both individually and collectively. The webinar will launch the Handbook, with the participation of the three authors, as a comprehensive learning tool and collection of good practices and guidance to be applied in any context where adults work with children. The online event will bring together the experts who have prepared the Handbook, children and interested professionals to discuss the importance of child participation in decision making and explore some of the possible ways forward.