The Regulated Child

This chapter explores the concept of participation as a right for children. Given that child participation has various definitions and is applied to a variety of attitudes, values and behaviours, it will adopt a case-study approach. Firstly, it will draw upon an LA-funded project that investigated the participation of vulnerable children and young people (CYP) in the integrated frontline service provision they received. Secondly, it will to examine core principles underpinning the United Nations Convention (1989: Article 12), in order to examine statutory views of participation rights. By these means, the chapter will seek to investigate CYPs’ exercise of participation rights as well as attempt to identify factors that might influence the exercise of participation. In so doing, the chapter will consider whether or not the statutory view provides the conditions for exercised rights.