Child participation is one of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), which South Africa ratified in 1995, together with (a) the best interest of the child; (b) survival, protection and development; and (c) non-discrimination (Hodgkin&Newell, 2002:17). It can be viewed as one of the cornerstones of child rights (and also human rights) as far as the Convention is concerned. The strongest foundations for children’s right to participation in society can be found in universally agreed upon human rights treaties as well as domestic laws. These provide, either directly or by interpretation, for the right of children to participate in claiming their civil and political rights (first order rights) as well as their social, economic and cultural rights (second order rights). It is apparent that the construction of childhood by the adult portion of society directly affects children’s ability to claim and execute their right to participation as citizens. These constructions of childhood are largely determined by the large differences in power between children and adults, where adults hold the power and decide when and how much power will be given to children, and by children’s perceived status as “lesser” than adults and, as such, needing to behave and respond in certain ways. Both these perceptions influence the meaningful participation of children. Despite progression being made globally on the importance and value of children’s participation, there remains a tension between children’s right to participation and society’s construct of children and childhood. While this tension prevails, it is important that mechanisms be found that will ensure that children’s right to participation is executed in a way that will ensure that society’s perceptions of childhood do not influence the quality of meaningful participation. Authentic and meaningful participation can be safeguarded by ensuring that participation occurs within a framework that spells out the ethical principles to which child participation should adhere. Research was undertaken to explore the foundations of child participation as a fundamental right, and to develop ethical principles for child participation for use in practice. As part of a qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult experts in child participation, and focus group discussions were held with children involved in child participation. From the study it was concluded that ethical principles for child participation are important to ensure that children are enabled to participate in an authentic and meaningful manner in all matters that affect them and their communities. Based on the findings and the conclusion, a framework for the ethical principles of child participation was developed. Recommendations included the following: <ul> <li> Publishing and dissemination of the framework for the ethical principles of child participation.</li> <li> Monitoring of child participation to ensure that it is ethical.</li> <li> Training in ethical child participation for all role players.</li></ul> / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The aim of this thesis is to examine how the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is incorporated in theplans for equal treatment in Swedish preschools. The four main principles in the convention, including articles2, 3, 6 and 12 make the lens through which the analysis is conducted. Article 2 is about each child’s right toenjoy the rights of the convention without discrimination of any kind, whilst article 3 states that the best interestof the child shall always be the primary consideration. Article 6 ensures every child the right to life, survival anddevelopment whilst article 12 is about every child's right to be heard and the views of the child being given dueweight in accordance with the age and maturity.43 different plans for equal treatment make up the studies' empirical data and they are analysed through ahermeneutic approach. The result shows a clear overrepresentation of articles 2 and 12 in the data, which isconsistent with the contents of the regulatory documents for Swedish preschool. Article 3 is nearly absent fromthe plans, while article 6 is featured only in regard to the right to development.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur barnperspektivet beaktas vid handläggning inom LSS, samt att undersöka hur barnets rättigheter, enligt Barnkonventionen, beaktas under processen. Eftersom Barnkonventionen blir lag 2020 ville vi få insikt i hur Barnkonventionen används praktiskt inom LSS. I studien har vi två frågeställningar för att besvara vårt syfte, Vad innebär det att ha ett barnperspektiv i praktiken inom LSS-handläggning? och Hur tillämpas Barnkonventionen i ärenden som berör barn? För att besvara frågeställningarna använde vi oss av en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer, där vi intervjuade åtta biståndshandläggare som arbetar inom LSS. För att analysera materialet från intervjuerna använde vi kodning och tematisering. Följande teman hittades; miljö, kommunikation och delaktighet, dokumentation, föräldrar till barn med funktionsnedsättning, barn som anhöriga och kunskapsbrist och utbildning. Det empiriska materialet analyserades med hjälp av vårt kunskapsläge och våra utvalda teorier barndomssociologi, Foucaults maktteori och KASAM. Resultatet av vår studie har visat att det saknas kunskap och resurser när det gäller barn med funktionsnedsättning. Biståndshandläggarna vet inte hur olika kommunikationshjälpmedel och Barnkonventionen används i praktiken, vilket resulterar i att barn med funktionsnedsättning berövas sina rättigheter. Vi kan se mycket engagemang och vilja hos biståndshandläggarna eftersom de vill förbättra denna situation, men mer ansträngning krävs för att utveckla metoder som kan främja rättssäkerhet för barn med funktionsnedsättningar. / The purpose of this study is to examine how the child's perspective is taken into account when dealing with LSS, and to understand if the child's rights, according to the Children's rights convention, is taken into account during the process. As the Children’s rights convention becomes a law in 2020 we wanted to gain insight into how the children's rights convention is used practically within LSS. In the study we have two questions to answer about our purpose, What does it mean to have a child perspective in practice within LSS handling? and How is the Children's rights convention applied in cases involving children? To answer the questions, we have chosen to use a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews, where we interviewed eight care managers working with LSS. In order to analyze the material, obtained from the interviews, we used coding and thematization. The following themes were found; environment, communication and participation, documentation, parents of children with disabilities, children as a relative and lack of knowledge and education. The empirical material was analyzed with the help of our state of knowledge and our selected theories childhood sociology, Foucault’s power theory and KASAM. The result of our study has shown that there is a lack of knowledge and resources, regarding children with disabilities. The care managers doesn’t know how different communication aids and the Children’s rights convention, is being used in practice, which result in children with disabilities being deprived of their rights. We can see a great deal of commitment and a willingness in the care managers because they want to improve this situation, but more effort is needed to develop methods that can promote legal security for children with disabilities.

The UN committee on CRC have criticized Sweden on many occasions for differences in relation to implementation of the CRC at municipal level. Studies notes that there’s existing challenges to realize the convention. This thesis studies the implementation process which is also a part of the policy process in two Swedish municipalities where the local government has come to a decision to implement the CRC in governing documents and include the CRC in all decision concerning children and young people up to eighteen years old. The chosen municipalities in the study differ in area, number of population and number of employees. The thesis purpose is to increase the understanding of how the implementation of the CRC in two Swedish municipalities works, and what strategy uses for the implementation of CRC. The purpose is also to identify similarities and differences in the municipalities way to achieve a full implementation according to Löpa linan ut-modell, and to investigate whether the official’s power and capacity for action have an impact on the implementation process. The theoretical framework has been based on theories of implementation process, and the finding have been compiled qualitative text analysis. The study shows how far the municipalities have come with the implementation of CRC, why they have come so far, how much work they have left to do to achieve a full implementation, and finally the studie finds the power of official’s and their capacity for action have an impact of the implementations progress and success in both municipalities.

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yes / There have been many praises as well as criticisms against both the UN Convention on the rights of the child and the African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child. However, many writers are of the view that the African charter was an unnecessary duplication of the convention. This paper outlines some of the differences and similarities between the UN convention on the rights of the child, and the African children’s charter. The paper traces the development of children’s right treaties internationally and on the African continent, and argues that the adoption of the African children’s charter is in tandem with the United Nation’s call for regional arrangements for the protection and promotion of human rights, therefore not an unnecessary duplication of the UN convention.

I denna studie kommer du som läsare få en inblick i lekar och aktiviteter där barnen har full kontroll över situationen. Studiens syfte är att genom observation synliggöra hur barn begränsar sina kamratkulturer och om det förekommer fördomar eller kränkande behandling när man gör uteslutningar av sina kamrater. I resultatet kan man se hur barnen som observerats är väl medvetna om förskolans regler och värderingar, således förekommer inga trakasserier eller kränkande behandling under lekens gång. Dock använder man sig av subtila och kamouflerade strategier för att styra leken kring såväl lekens utformning till vilka kamrater som får ingå i sin lekkonstellation och således ta sig runt de regler som finns kring kamratskap, t.ex. anpassningar av regeln ”Alla får vara med”. I deras uteslutningar kan man se hur hierarkier har byggts upp och genom sina verbala och icke-verbala språk förtydligar man vilka som kan få tillträde och inte. Utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv är det också sagt att studien inte enbart berättar om barns uteslutningsstrategier utan ger också en bild kring den kultur och de samtal som råder inom förskolemiljön som i sin tur skapar en arena där uteslutningarna sker. / In this study you will be able to get a “sneak peek” into the play and game in which the children are the masters. The purpose of this study is through observation show whether children are limiting their play arenas and if children are excluding others by using unethical or stereotypical methods, such as excluding because of age, gender, ethnicity, etc. The results of the observations show that the children of this observation doesn’t use judgmental exclusions however use hidden and camouflaged strategies to adapt the play to match their intentions. By playing by the hierarchic rules of the preschool arena the children are able to choose their wanted playmates, the intentions and the rule of the game itself. The exclusion strategies are subtle and yet so obvious and through their psychical and verbal language they show each other the signs of which you are in the game or not. The children of the study are well aware of the physical and social rules within the preschool and are therefore able to adapt their exclusion strategies by bending the rules, for example the most common “Everybody are allowed to join the game”. With that in mind this study doesn’t only show the exclusion strategies but also the culture and conversations that creates the environment in which these exclusions are performed.

In the last two decades, increasingly more research has been conducted on the process of participation as a children’s right both nationally and internationally. This includes research on children’s participation within the family environment as well as with children who are placed into alternative care. Children’s participation within the field of child protection continues to demonstrate challenges for both children and those adults working with children in this environment. A child and youth care centre forms part of the broader field of child protection and represents a bounded system of dynamics especially with regard to the process of children’s participation. There continues to be various barriers with regard to children’s participation in general but especially for children who have been found in need of care and protection. This is largely linked to the emphasis being put on the vulnerabilities and needs of children who have been placed into alternative care. The general aim of the study was to qualitatively, through a case study design, explore and describe the nature of participation as a children’s right in the context of a child and youth care centre in the Western Cape. The case study was utilised in order to gain more insight into the nature of participation as a children’s right, based on the perceptions of the children, child care workers, social workers and professionals within the system. Thirteen semi structured individual interviews were held with the child participations. Prior to the interviews, a session was held with the children to discuss the purpose of the research and to allow them to become more aware of the concept of children’s participation. The children were asked to create a collage of their perception of children’s participation as a right. Two separate focus groups were held for the adult participants; one for the child care workers and the other for the social workers and professionals. Based on the findings of this qualitative study about the nature of children’s participation as perceived by both children and adults in a child and youth care centre, the article in Section B aims at highlighting those critical elements needed for the realisation of children’s participation within a context of child protection. / MSW (Child Protection), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The purpose of the study is to examine the ways in which the Children’s rights convention is used to develop early childhood education for children with special needs. We want to examine how preschool teachers and municipalities relate to the Children’s rights convention when decisionmaking concerning children with special needs, and the resources that will be relevant for these children. In order to answer our questions, we conducted interviews with preschool teachers and officials in two municipalities in Sweden. This in order to identify any differences between theory and practice; does this correspond with what is said in the Children’s rights convention, the Education Act, various policy documents that are in and around the preschool or is there a need to develop this work further, so that the guidelines are followed to a greater extent? We have used a qualitative method with phenomenological and phenomenographic basis. We describe the ecological systems theory of child development, individual, and relational perspective, which we use to analyze our collected material. We also shed light on previous research in the Children’s rights convention and children's right to education, the incorporation of the Children’s rights convention, special education and resources, children's perspective and inclusion and exclusion. We have concluded that the need for an education initiative for the Convention should be used to strengthen children's rights, but also the need for a more active work to actualize what is said in the Children’s rights convention.

This work was written within the framework of the theme of democracy and children's rights. The purpose of the study was to contribute with knowledge of preschool teachers' thoughts on and pedagogical work with meal situations in relation to diet and health. As many of Sweden's children go to preschool, the preschool becomes an important arena for children at many different levels, among other things when it comes to pedagogues pedagogical work with meal situations. The method used to answer the purpose was qualitative interviews. The result shows that preschool teachers see the meal situations as a learning opportunity and as an opportunity where the children get opportunities to learn more about diet and health. The result also shows that the preschool teachers' work on meal situations, in relation to diet and health, is very much about motivating the children to dare to taste new and "foreign" food. This work, in turn, may be aimed at promoting good eating habits in the children. The result also shows that there are some opportunities and challenges in the pedagogical work with the meal situations in relation to diet and health. The possibilities were about creating the conditions for an even better work with learning about diet and health. The challenges were about meal situations as a stressful moment, about unclear roles and about a lack of cooperation between preschool educators and chefs. / Detta arbete skrevs inom ramen för temat demokrati och barns rättigheter. Syftet med studien var att bidra med kunskap om förskollärares tankar om och pedagogiska arbete med måltidssituationerna i relation till kost och hälsa. Då många av Sveriges barn går i förskolan så blir förskolan en viktig arena för barn på många olika nivåer, bland annat när det gäller pedagogers pedagogiska arbete med måltidssituationerna. Metoden som användes för att besvara syftet var kvalitativa intervjuer. Resultatet visar på att förskollärarna ser på måltidssituationerna som ett lärtillfälle och som ett tillfälle där barnen bland annat får möjligheter att lära sig mer om kost och hälsa. Resultatet visar även på att förskollärarnas arbete med måltidssituationerna, i relation till kost och hälsa, mycket handlar om att motivera barnen till att våga smaka på ny och ”främmande” mat. Detta arbete kan i sin tur syfta till ett främjande av goda matvanor hos barnen. Resultatet visar även att det finns en del möjligheter och utmaningar i det pedagogiska arbetet med måltidssituationerna i relation till kost och hälsa. Möjligheterna handlade om att skapa förutsättningar för att ett ännu bättre arbete med lärandet om kost och hälsa kunde ske. Utmaningarna handlade om måltidssituationerna som en stressig stund, om otydliga roller samt om brist på samarbete mellan förskolepedagoger och kockar.