Creative participatory approaches, methods and tools

Abstract

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (UN, 1989) gives every child a right to participate and be heard. To be seen and heard is essential to all humans. To be given a voice can help the child to find his or her language for self- expression. Children in protective systems need trusting and lasting relationships with adults who care for them. Therefore, professionals must adapt their processes and language to the inner world of children so that their thoughts and feelings can be spontaneously expressed (Wieder, 2017). In this context, the success of our engagement with children depends, in part, on our understanding and appreciation of the unique skills, talents and capabilities of each child. They live in a world of tangible realities and often express their experiences through play (Landreth, 2012). Adults attempting to understand children’s lives and experiences often encounter asymmetries not only relating to age but also to communicative abilities. To overcome these, increasingly innovative approaches have been adopted (Butschi and Hedderich, 2021) and in this chapter we introduce a number of activities that can be used with young children in child welfare and child protection contexts.