What the Methodology Is
Understanding the foundation and purpose of this approach
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The Child Participation Assessment Tool (CPAT) is designed to support implementation of Article 12 of the UNCRC by enabling a systematic assessment of how well children's participation is embedded in laws, institutions, practices, and culture.
It provides:
10 core indicators grouped under three domains: protecting the right to participate, promoting awareness, and creating spaces.
Graduated assessment criteria (0–3) that allow practitioners or governments to benchmark progress.
Guidance on data sources, including laws, policies, qualitative research, NGO reports, monitoring bodies, and children’s feedback.
A structured process aligned with broader Council of Europe and UNCRC monitoring mechanisms.
While originally created for member states, the tool is equally relevant to NGOs, practitioners, and institutions seeking to embed meaningful, rights‑based child participation in their work.
How It Can Be Used
Practical applications and implementation guidance
The Child Participation Assessment Tool can be applied in any context where an organization or system needs to understand how well children’s right to participate is being implemented. Although created for states, its indicators and criteria make it equally valuable for practitioners.
You can use the tool to:
- Assess organizational practices: NGOs, civil society actors, and service providers can evaluate whether their policies, procedures, and participation opportunities align with children’s rights.
- Strengthen programs: Teams can check whether the foundations for meaningful, safe, and informed participation exist before launching or revising projects.
- Support local or sectoral systems: Municipalities, schools, and cross‑sector coalitions can use CPAT as a shared framework to review participation structures and identify gaps.
- Monitor progress over time: Because CPAT offers clear indicators and scoring criteria, it helps track improvements and inform strategic planning or advocacy.
This makes CPAT a versatile tool for anyone aiming to build or reinforce systemic, ethical, and inclusive child participation.
Focus on Inclusion
The CPAT explicitly requires disaggregation of data, recognizing that participation experiences differ across groups of children.
When practitioners implement CPAT, inclusion should be ensured by:
- Collecting Disaggregated Data
Break down data by:
- Age
- Gender
- Disability
- Socioeconomic background
- Migration or minority status
- Care experience
- Any other relevant vulnerability
This ensures the assessment captures who is participating, who is excluded, and where structural inequities exist.
- Integrating Inclusive Methods
Use accessible formats, child‑friendly materials, interpreters, alternative communication, and methods suitable for children with varying capacities and identities.
- Ensuring Ethical Participation
Align your process with the nine basic requirements for ethical participation outlined in the CPAT appendices (e.g., transparency, voluntariness, and relevance).
Contributors
Organizations and individuals who developed this methodology
Council of Europe
The tool was developed by the Council of Europe Children’s Rights Division and Youth Department, drawing on:
- Child consultations during the development of the Recommendation on child participation.
- Council of Europe democratic participation experts.
- Piloting in several member states (Estonia, Ireland, Romania; later Bulgaria, Italy, Latvia).