Conclusion: From Social Exclusion to Child-Inclusive Policies: Toward an Ecological Model of Child Participation

This concluding chapter integrates the findings of the book’s chapters in two ways. First, it outlines five general themes emerging from the chapters, namely, the need for legislation; the importance of promoting participation among professionals; the challenge of shifting from token to inclusive participation, the need for managing expectations, and an understanding of participation as relational. Second, the chapter presents an ecological model that maps the multiple layers of elements affecting child participation. Beyond the specific circumstances of each case, child participation is affected by six tiers of ecological variables: the individual child’s characteristics, the family, professional considerations, state structures, cultural values and international norms. These influence child participation in three parameters: the level of participation, the temporal elements of participation, and the degree of systemic use of participation. These parameters, in turn, affect children’s sense of fairness, satisfaction, and wellbeing.