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Children 's Full Participation Within Society Essay

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In this essay I will look at barriers, both social and practical, that commonly exist to prevent, and or limit children’s full participation within society. Firstly I will define what we mean by the child and childhood and then ascertain my understanding of both practical and social barriers. Barriers that prevent any or full participation for children within society are so vast and complex with their many facets and interpretations that they cannot all be fully explored within this assignment. However of the various things in which we can look at, I will focus on two key areas of policy and practice pertinent to the question. Firstly we will look at the government initiative ‘Sure Start’ and the policies which feed off this such as ‘Every Child Matters’ (ECM) and secondly of how children are viewed in the arena of politics and how this is in line with children’s rights and what the UNCRC want in terms of full participation for all children. Both of these samples are UK based and within these I will explore to what extent inclusive practices are either effective or tokenistic. I will conclude with a look back at the essay question with the aim of critically answering whether children are anywhere near being recognised as full participants, or whether full participation is still just an ideal.

The child, in the United Kingdom, is categorised within a legal framework as anyone under the age of eighteen years of age. Thorne, (2009) suggests that childhood follows a pattern

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