GUIDELINES Setting up a Child Advisory Board at the Council of the Baltic Sea States
Eurochild, with its children’s council, provided guidance to support the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) to set up a Children’s Advisory Board and released guidelines that can be used by other governmental or non-governmental organisations to implement child participation.
The request to develop this guide followed a one-day child participation training for CBSS staff provided by Eurochild and its children’s council. The guide supports users through key steps, including Child Protection and Safeguarding, Application, Selection and Set Up, Getting Started, Follow-Up, Monitoring and Evaluation.
Children played an active role in developing these guidelines, with valuable input from the Eurochild Children's Council - 11 children from 11 European countries. Through a focus group, they contributed ideas on safe environments, group dynamics, time use, and the role of supportive adults. Their feedback was fully integrated into the guidelines, and they were informed of this. The council also reviewed the layout and checklist for child participation which is based on the 9 child participation principles used by Eurochild in its work, offering comments and suggestions. Their involvement will contribute to meaningful child participation in the work of the Council of Baltic Sea States.
Child participation is an ongoing learning journey that should evolve over time.One of the key messages in the guidance is that monitoring and evaluation as well as follow-up with the children is one of the most essential elements in child participation. As this shows to what extend children’s voices have been taken into account in decision-making and whether they are listened to. Once the board is established, it is important to work collaboratively with the children to regularly evaluate what is effective, identify areas for improvement, and adapt the board to better meet the needs of its members.
