Rights, Research and Policy

Abstract

The wish to achieve social justice for children motivates researchers to explore issues that make a difference to children’s lives. Advocates for chil- dren rely on research to help to argue for policy and practice changes, and policy-makers and practitioners look to research to guide their work. This book will examine the relationship between children’s rights, research, pol- icy and practice in the field of children’s rights, and how the nexus between them can promote and make a difference to the well-being and rights of chil- dren. Connections between the moral imperative of children’s rights and research findings can result in changes to policy, provided that the appro- priate political power can be harnessed. Smooth pathways between rights, research and policy have to be established if research is to make any dif- ference. A starting point, emerging from children’s rights and childhood studies theory, is that it is necessary to recognise children as active citizens and participants, rather than passive objects of concern, because children themselves are key agents of social change.