The Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 12, establishes children's right to speak and be involved in all matters that concern them. At the same time, reviews by the UN Children's Rights Committee show that Sweden is lagging and that many municipalities and businesses lack structured guidelines for working based on children's rights. A children's rights perspective means that both individual employees and the entire organization work strategically to ensure the child's rights in the measures and decisions concerning the child. Does your business have a strategic plan for sustainable work in managing children's participation and influence?
Ommej has developed two new tools that enable organizations' work with participation and influence to be evaluated by letting the children's voice permeate the support offered. In addition to an indication of children and young people's relationship and interaction with staff, the instruments also measure perceived participation and influence in connection with visits and interventions as well as perceived effect of the support and interventions offered. By having the child make an assessment at regular intervals, it is possible to evaluate whether the help offered actually leads to change and is helpful for the individual child. At group level, it becomes an important basis for systematically evaluating, among other things, the effect of the efforts your business offers.
Examples of questions that can be answered through these instruments are:
- How do we know that the support / intervention / treatment that the child receives is helpful?
- How can we know if various supports / efforts / treatment also contribute to a change in the child's everyday life?
- What do the child/children think of how the professionals treat and work?
- How many children perceive that they are involved in decisions that affect them at our unit?
- How many children in our administration think that we adults understand what is important to them?