U.S. public opinion polls suggest that average citizens have a surface understanding of child welfare; they recognize the complex decisions at stake in matters of child protection; they understand that a public response is sometimes required when children are in danger; and they acknowledge that the work is challenging. Social work academics have,…

The article considers street-connected children and their right to play. By drawing on a qualitative case study involving interviews and focus groups with NGO workers and children who lived on the streets in the Kathmandu valley, this article explores play, its role in children's lives and the applicability of the UNCRC Article 31. We argue that…

Since the inception of UNCRC, a considerable body of scholarship has developed to consider what the rights of children are and how they can be enacted in everyday life. In this paper we re-visit the framing of children and young people and their rights, from the nascent endeavours in the 20th century to the present day, and argue that we still…

Research in early childhood settings requires careful consideration of the impact on all children in the setting, whether participants or non-participants, and evolving ethical approaches in response to children's needs. However, flexible approaches and, 'in the moment', ethical adaptations are not routinely reported as part of early childhood…

Children have a right to Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). A key place for this to occur is in schools, and teachers' comfort and competence in teaching is critical to delivering high-quality CSE. Good quality Initial Teacher Education (ITE) should provide student teachers with a strong foundation for the delivery of CSE and the creation of…

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has recently adopted a new position statement focused on preventing and responding to maltreatment of children with disabilities. This significant initiative builds on previous efforts, including the CEC Policy on the Prevention of and Response to Maltreatment, and aims to provide actionable steps for…

This study aims to explore in greater depth the role of implementing child-friendly schools, parental involvement in enhancing the effectiveness of child-friendly school policies and practices, and evaluating the challenges that arise in the implementation of child-friendly schools. This qualitative descriptive exploratory research utilizes the…

This paper presents the findings from the initial stage of an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project which examines the pedagogic practices that embed young children's participative rights in lower primary classrooms in Wales. An evaluation of relevant legislation and policy in Wales from 2000 to 2022 was undertaken to…

The "UN Convention on the Rights of the Child" is one of the most widely-ratified human rights treaties, yet the visibility of children in the early years, in the mandatory government reports to the "UN Committee on the Rights of the Child" and in the Committee's concluding observations to States Parties, is relatively low…

Notions of consent, including assent and dissent, are paramount ethical considerations in human research, but have different connotations in research involving young children (aged 3 to 8). While discussion surrounding consent in the early childhood literature has progressed from paternalistic views surrounding the need to protect the child, to…

In times of disasters and adversity, children are among the most vulnerable. The "United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child" (1989) highlights the importance of protecting children from harm and making decisions in their best interests--matters that become heightened in an adverse context. From 2020 to 2023, the government of…

This article delves into the intricate relationship between children's rights and the broader landscape of human and more-than-human rights in times of planetary pluri-crises. While acknowledging the historical significance of the United Nation adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as a late 20th-century milestone, this…

This paper presents findings from a review of 19 national curriculum policy frameworks (NCPFs) across the globe and discusses dominant and culturally specific discourses that shape early childhood education (ECE). We combine two frameworks of developmental universality and specificity and culturally contextualised pedagogy to explore whether and…

Children should be heard on matters that impact their educational lives. However, meaningfully engaging autistic children can be difficult for researchers and policymakers. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to summarise methods used to gather the views of autistic children on their primary educational experiences. Database searches…

Learning Poverty (LP), the inability to read at age of 10 years has been the cynosure of concern and trigger for policy reform. Specifically, in India, the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) advocates several recommendations for epistemic justice and to thwart "learning poorness." This paper exposes that the proposals advocated by the…