Scoping a Framework for Children and Young People's Participation in Scotland

This research report documents an inquiry into the viability of the construction of a set of a national quality standards and a framework for children and young people's participation in Scotland. This research seeks to inform Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People's work in this area. A national framework is seen as potentially providing a platform for organisations to better understand the process of involving children and young people in a participatory way and assist them in evaluating the outcomes and effectiveness of their work in this area. The development of a national participation framework in principle offers a variety of opportunities including the scope for it to function as a form of design guide for better practices, a way of generating baseline information for the evaluation of children and young people's participation over time, and as a way of realising children rights in practice as part of the unfolding of a more democratic society. The report's contribution is based on an empirical study and comparison of ten current frameworks of participation and interviews with ten key stakeholders. The design of the study is such that practice in local Scottish, regional UK, and international contexts is reviewed and may, therefore, have wider relevance for readers internationally.