Children participating in M&E activities
Objective
 Participants can explain children’s rights vis-à-vis participation with reference to the CRC
and current analytical frameworks.
 Participants can identify key implications for management of M&E activities.
 Participants can critique the design of M&E activities from the perspective of ethics of
children’s participation.

Timing
1½ to 2 hours
Activities
1
Introduction
Explain the session objectives.
[Note that this session can be merged with Session 2.2.1. This is best done by inserting
activity 2 below after activity 2 in session 2.2.1, and merging activity 3 in Session 2.2.1 with
activity 5 below.]
2

30”
Plenary discussion
What does children’s right to participate mean?
Objective: Participants can explain children’s rights vis-à-vis participation with
reference to the CRC and current analytical frameworks.
This is particularly important if the notion of children’s participation is unclear or new to
participants. If you are not comfortable with the content, ensure a resource person is available.
Step 1. Assessing participants’ knowledge (5” – 10”)
Ask participants:
What is your understanding of children’s right to participate, and what concerns if any do
you have regarding such rights?
This will draw out the level of participants’ knowledge about the provisions of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child (CRC), personal reactions and interpretations, as well as
misconceptions. Try to draw out and capture on a flipchart any mention of the relevant
provisions of the CRC. Refer to the first section of core content sheet Children’s participation
in research, monitoring and evaluation (M&E): Ethics and your responsibilities as a manager.
If any of the principles of the CRC or relevant articles regarding children’s participation are not
mentioned, write these on the flipchart and try to draw out participants’ understanding of
them. Clear up any misconceptions about the extent and limits to children’s right to
participate.
Step 2. Discussion (20” – 25”)
Refer to the conceptual frameworks in the core content sheet that attempt to define
participation and what contributes to it. Summarise simply that frameworks, particularly
UNICEF M&E Training Resource Module 3.2.2
Children participation in M&E activities 1/4
Rakesh Rajani’s, point to four parameters that help to define the space in which children
participate:




the different roles for children – from listener to decision-maker;
the different relations to adults – from manipulation to an interaction where children can
initiate actions (refer in more detail to Hart’s scale and write this on a flipchart, as it is
more detailed than the other four parameters);
the different institutional spaces in which they might participate – from home to school and
governing bodies;
and the geographic spaces in which they might participate – from domestic to global.
Allow participants to raise any questions they have about the frameworks and help clarify,
using other participants’ contributions, a resource person’s and/or your own.
Ask participants to brainstorm on examples of children’s participation in everyday life, in
programme activities and/or in M&E activities and try to situate these examples in terms of
each of the four parameters outlined above. If participants are not forthcoming with
examples, ask the following:



How would you qualify the participation of most children in their education in the rural
areas of the country where you are currently working and living?
Does anyone know of any experiences with children’s referendums or children’s
parliaments? How would you qualify the participation of children in these activities.
For UNICEF staff, how would you qualify the participation of children in the United Nations
Special Session for Children, 2002 or the “Say Yes” campaign as it played out in your
country?
Probe participants’ assessment vis-à-vis each of the four parameters, especially the
relationship between children and adults and the roles children have had.
Open the floor to participants to explore whether they feel there are other important
parameters to consider in defining children’s participation and how they might relate to the
frameworks presented. Note that these frameworks are not definitive, but represent the
evolution of our understanding of children’s participation.
3

45”
Group work with sample ToRs and plenary discussion
Protecting children and children’s right to participate in M&E
Objective: Participants critique the design of M&E activities from the perspective of
ethics of children’s participation and can identify key implications for management of
the process.
Step 1. Introduction and group work (30”)
Divide participants into groups of 2-3. Hand out sample ToRs for M&E activities where some
level of children’s participation has been included. A selection of sample ToRs is provided
with this M&E training resource. You could also use examples participants can provide,
though it is important participants understand how the ToR will be used in this exercise,
especially that they are open to critique.
Give groups 10 minutes to read the ToR and 20 minutes to carry out the following:
After reading the sample ToR provided, discuss the following questions in your group,
writing your answers on a flipchart for later presentation:
1.
2.
In the context as described, would you have proposed the involvement of children in
the M&E activity?
How would you characterise children’s participation in this M&E activity? Specifically:
What was children’s role in which stages of the M&E activity? How would you rate the
interaction with other adults on Hart’s scale? In what geographic and institutional
UNICEF M&E Training Resource Module 3.2.2
Children participation in M&E activities 2/4
3.
4.
spheres did children’s participation extend through the process of the M&E activity?
Would you have proposed a greater involvement?
What factors would shape your decision on whether children should be involved and
the degree of involvement that you could reasonably try to achieve?
How well does the M&E activity take into consideration the following ethical
considerations and what improvements could you propose for inclusion in the ToRs?
 Protection of children’s best interest, including not exposing children to risk through
participation in the activity and protecting them from exposing themselves
 Confidentiality/breech of confidentiality
 Informing children, withholding information from children
 Informed consent
 Equity and non-discrimination
 Respect of children and their views
 You may want to re-read briefly the related section of the core content sheet Children’s
participation in research, monitoring and evaluation (M&E): ethics and your responsibilities
as a manager (see p. 3-4).
Step 2. Plenary (15” – 20”)
In plenary, invite participants to discuss based on the group work:
 What factors would shape your decision on whether children should be involved and the
degree of involvement that you could reasonably try to achieve?
 What are some of the good practices you identified in terms of handling the ethical
considerations of children’s participation, either in the sample ToR or coming out of your
group discussion?
 What are some of the biggest challenges you foresee?
Conclude by highlighting to participants the “Checklist for managers of M&E & research
activities” contained in the core content sheet.
4a

20” –
30”
Alternative A: Plenary discussion
Protecting children and children’s right to participate in M&E
Objective: Participants can identify key implications of children’s participation in M&E
activities for management of the process.
Have a listing of the related principles of the CRC and keyword headings for each of the
relevant articles of the convention posted on the wall on a flipchart.
Ask participants to brainstorm in plenary on the following:
With the CRC as a reference, if you are a manager of an M&E activity and the key
stakeholders want to involve children, what are your responsibilities? What considerations
are you ethically bound to raise?
This can be a very open, free-flowing discussion where participants are animated and have
given some thought to the issues. Write a list of key considerations on a flipchart as they
emerge in discussion, adding any caveats or challenges as they are raised.
Alternatively, if participation is imbalanced, a first round of brainstorming can be done with
each participant writing 4 or 5 ideas on VIPP cards, posting these on a VIPP board and
clustering them. Then you can lead participants to reconsider each point, to draw out the
factors to be taken into consideration and any difficulties in fulfilling the responsibilities.
Conclude by highlighting to participants the “Checklist for managers of M&E & research
activities” contained in the core content sheet.
UNICEF M&E Training Resource Module 3.2.2
Children participation in M&E activities 3/4
4b
Alternative B: Case study presentations by participant “experts”
Protecting children and children’s right to participate in M&E

40”
Objective: Participants can identify key implications of childrens participation in M&E
activities for management of the proces.
Steps 1 and 2. Preparation and case study presentation (15” –20”)
See Session 4.2.1, Stakeholder participation. Follow the same process for steps 1 and 2.
Use Children’s participation: Outline for case study presentation to guide participant’s
presentations.
Step 3. Summary and discussion (20”)
Summarise briefly the examples presented, situating them in terms of the table, “Implications
of participation in M&E” in core content sheet Stakeholders participating in M&E as well as the
space given children’s participation as mapped out in a star diagram on R. Rajani’s diagram “A
Framework for Promoting Effective Adolescent Participation” (see core content sheet
Children’s participation in research, monitoring and evaluation (M&E): Ethics and your
responsibilities as a manager).
Open discussion to all participants on the benefits and challenges in promoting children’s
participation, encouraging those who did not present to draw from their own experience.
Summarise discussions on flip charts as participants speak.
Conclude by highlighting to participants the “Checklist for managers of M&E & research
activities” contained in the core content sheet,.
Materials
 Flipchart and pens
Handouts
 Children’s participation in research, monitoring and evaluation (M&E): Ethics and your
responsibilities as a manager
Exercise sheets
 Children participating in M&E: outline for panel presenters
UNICEF M&E Training Resource Module 3.2.2
Children participation in M&E activities 4/4