Young Children's Rights : Exploring Beliefs, Principles and Practice

Priscilla Alderson examines the issue of young children's rights, starting with the question of how the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child applies to the youngest children, from birth to eight years of age. The question of finding a balance between young children's rights to protection, to provision (resources and services) and to participation (expressing their views, being responsible) is discussed. The author suggests that, in the belief we are looking after their best interests, we have become overprotective of children and deny them the freedom to be expressive, creative and active, and that improving the way adults and children communicate is the best way of redressing that balance. She considers some of the problems adults may have communicating with children and offers practical suggestions as to how these can be overcome.

Young Children's Rights is published by Jessica Kingsley for Save the Children, the leading international voluntary organisation for children in the UK, who saw the need for this book and commissioned the work. This readable, informative and thought-provoking book is a compelling invitation to rethink our attitudes to young children's rights in the light of new theories, research and practical evidence about children's daily lives. It will be of interest to anyone who works with young children.

Priscilla Alderson, PhD, FRSA is Professor of Childhood Studies at the Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London. She has written numerous books and articles on young children's rights.

Mary John is a developmental psychologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Exeter. She has worked in the field of disability rehabilitation and independent living and has researched with minority rights groups.