How can an anthropological approach inform the development of inclusive and child-centred structures, policies, and practices?

Child and youth participation is a key principle enshrined in the UN CRC – a right guaranteed to children as human beings (rather than becomings) in their own right. Notwithstanding, it is a valuable endeavour in and of itself, which makes good sense in developing structures and mechanisms for children. This workshop aims to explore how an ethnographic and anthropological approach can add value to the process of creating and developing child-focused structures and services. It aims to raise discussion on the process of undertaking participant observation with children, and how ethnographic research methods should be adapted with child participants in mind. Looking at the world through the eyes of children allows researchers to reach a deeper understanding of children’s worlds, respecting them as engaged social actors with their own unique perspectives of their socio-cultural surroundings. How can principles of ethnographic research facilitate youth participation and inclusion, and how can this knowledge inform the development of the foster care system at different levels?