A new guide has been created to help parents and other adults working with children get them involved in participating in decisions that affect them.
The Toolkit for Promoting Child Participation was created by the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
It tackles a myriad of situations and provides solutions on how medical professionals, the judiciary, schools, police, migrant centres, and parents, among others, should address child participation, MFWS said.
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, chair of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, said the toolkit was released after years of hard work by experts, specialists, and practitioners.
"Child participation is fundamental for our national capacity of active citizenship, critical thinkers, and effective and strong leaders. We truly aspire to see this toolkit adopted by all stakeholders to ensure children’s rights to have their aspirations and opinions heard are safeguarded,” she said.
“By embracing this resource, we take a significant step towards fostering a culture of participation that respects and values the contributions of every child and subsequently of every member of our society.”
Training on the tookit will be provided by the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, which will soon become a licensed higher education training institution
This toolkit outlines the different types and levels of child participation, providing authorities with practical ways to enable and support children's involvement, through various typologies and approaches.
It is designed to help adults aiming to include child participation to understand how to implement effective participation models.
It also guides adults on how to create a supportive environment where children feel heard while emphasising the importance of adult behaviour, advocating for patience and active listening so that trust and respect is developed between adults and children.
These specific step-by-step guidelines and practical tips are aimed at helping adults and authorities focus on key aspects to ensure children’s voices are genuinely heard and considered, the MFWS said.