Participation in decision-making: The experience of New Zealand children in care

Abstract

One of the objections to a children's rights perspective is that children are unable to accept the responsibilities that go with rights. If children are to attain the status of citizens and exercise the responsibilities of citizenship, participation during childhood is essential. Yet children are frequently excluded when important decisions have to be made. This paper examines children's participation in decision-making from the perspective of New Zealand children in care. The paper discusses the importance of children's participation in decision-making, outlines the current situation in New Zealand, and identifies both the blocks to children's participation and the resulting consequences. Particular attention is paid to the implications of this perspective for New Zealand's indigenous population. The paper presents arguments in favour of increasing children's participation and suggests changes necessary to achieve this.