Listening and responding to children's voice

This chapter helps a student to understand theories and models of empowerment concerning the voice of children in the early year’s sector. It evaluates the complexities of international, political, socio-economic, ethical and cultural implications within the context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The chapter offers the student the opportunity to develop their understanding of children's capacity to express their voice, through case study analysis applying theory to practice. It aims to help practitioner to work towards becoming an advanced practitioner and improve their effectiveness in responding to the needs of children, and to encourage practitioner to participate meaningfully to influence policy and practice in an early year’s context. The chapter presents a case study of the significance of voice and identifies appropriate responses to key and topical issues. Each case study is based on small-scale research projects undertaken by students at the University of Huddersfield.