Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523079
2 NEWS maltatoday | THURSDAY • 26 JUNE 2024 2 THE first national child participa- tion guide for parents and stake- holders working with children has been launched today and is the culmination of 10 years' hard work and research by the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society. This guide will equip adults with the tools to better understand children, their rights, to involve them and to listen to their con- cerns before taking decisions that instead of helping them, fail them instead. It will also come with spe- cific training to ensure it is prop- erly implemented. To deliver this, the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society will soon become a li- censed higher education training institution; a major milestone for the foundation, which is this year marking the 10th anniver- sary from its formation during the Presidency of Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. Coleiro Preca, champion of chil- dren's rights and the chair of the Malta Foundation for the Well- being of Society, said that it was rewarding to finally release this toolkit, which after long years of hard work by experts, specialists, and practitioners would serve to fill the existing vacuum. "Child participation is funda- mental for our national capac- ity of active citizenship, critical thinkers, and effective and strong leaders. We truly aspire to see this toolkit adopted by all stakeholders to ensure children's rights to have their aspirations and opinions heard are safeguarded," Coleiro Preca said. "By embracing this resource, we take a significant step towards fos- tering a culture of participation that respects and values the con- tributions of every child and sub- sequently of every member of our society." The toolkit is designed to be a practical, supporting document that can guide adults, organisa- tions, and authorities to engage with children in effective deci- sion-making and address poten- tial challenges. Through it, adults can empower children to take an active role in shaping their future and in turn, build a more inclusive and dynamic society. It tackles a myriad of situations and provides solutions on how medical professionals, the judici- ary, schools, police, migrant cen- tres, and parents, among others, should address child participation. Child participation — a funda- mental human right enshrined by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child — happens when they are listened to, taken seriously, and their ideas transformed into reality. When children participate in de- cision-making, they can influence the aspects that affect them while offering unique perspectives. This process allows children to de- velop a sense of belonging, gain new skills and experiences, build a sense of agency and be active citizens and critical thinkers in society. Coleiro Preca said: "This toolkit stands as testimony of the work done by the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society across the last 10 years where children are considered to be active con- tributors to society, and whose voices can lead to meaningful and impactful change." The First National Toolkit The Toolkit for Promoting Child Participation is a comprehensive guide designed to enhance the in- volvement of children in various decision-making processes. It delves into the multifaceted benefits of child participation, emphasising the positive impacts on both children and the respec- tive authorities, agencies, or fields involved. Additionally, it address- es potential challenges and offers strategies for adults to effectively overcome them. This toolkit outlines the differ- ent types and levels of child par- ticipation, providing authorities with practical ways to enable and support children's involvement, through various typologies and approaches. This will help adults aiming to include child partici- pation to understand how to im- plement effective participation models. It also guides adults on how to create a supportive environment where children feel heard while emphasising the importance of adult behaviour, advocating for patience and active listening so that trust and respect is developed between adults and children. These specific step-by-step guidelines and practical tips are aimed at helping adults and au- thorities focus on key aspects to ensure children's voices are genu- inely heard and considered. The toolkit also includes in- sights from projects conducted by the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, highlighting strengths and gaps in child partic- ipation. This section is particular- ly useful for authorities related to family contexts, out-of-home set- tings, neighbourhoods, schools, courts, and media, identifying ar- eas needing further intervention and support. A unique feature is the adult and child version matrix, which helps measure perceptions of child par- ticipation across different societal contexts where the higher rank- ings indicate effective participa- tion. This also helps in providing a clear benchmark for improve- ment. First national guide to empower child participation MALTA recorded three deaths and 83 hospitalisations due to COVID-19 in the past four weeks, a health ministry spokes- person has confirmed with this newspa- per. The spokesperson said there were 232 notified cases of COVID-19 in the past four weeks, but no hospitalised patients were admitted to the ICU. He said Malta has registered an up- ward trend since mid-May, but stated that it reflects what is happening in the rest of Europe. Asked if there was a new variant of the disease going around, the spokesperson said there isn't. "The dominant variants circulating are KP,KS and JN which are mutations of Omicron BA.2.86," the spokesperson said. The precautions being applied at Ma- ter Dei Hospital over the rise in cases are those applicable to transmissible respiratory infections such as influenza. "Persons admitted with symptoms sug- gestive of respiratory infection are test- ed through a respiratory screen and pos- itive cases are isolated in line with ECDC protocols," the spokesperson said. Malta registers upward trend in COVID cases: three deaths, 83 hospitalisations in past month KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt