Editorial [International Journal of Emotional Education, 14(1)]

Abstract

One of the main factors which has led to the rise of children’s and young persons’ voice has been the drive towards a rights based approach to children’s education, development and well-being. As children’s rights became increasingly recognized, the rights-based approach as a conceptual framework for children’s development has become more frequently recognized in policy, practice and research. This movement has been supported by evidence from developmental sciences, clearly showing that as ‘unique insiders’, children and adolescents possess knowledge and experiences which differ from those of adults, and that their perspectives on their learning, behaviour, and well-being provide a more adequate understanding of their development and needs to be taken actively into consideration. In the first paper in this edition, Pound and Sime-Schoutenb (UK) undertake a systematic review of co-production in relation to the mental health and wellbeing of care leavers. This is an under researched area with scarce research on the experiences of care leavers and their mental health and well-being needs. The authors reported that co-production can have a positive impact on care leavers’ mental health and well-being, but that it needs to take account of various considerations for it to be effective. [excerpt]