ABSTRACT
This local newspaper headline provocatively caricatured a recent Centre for Young Children’s Rights (CYCR) project, working with an Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) on listening to children. The article attacked the council for what it described as “an extreme example of [a] pro-listening policy”, where under fives had “been asked their views on their food, toys and environment” (Highbury and Islington Express, 26 May 2000). Its predictable target was the perceived waste of money by the local council (although technically the EYDCP is an independent agency). More interestingly, the hostile tone of the article reflects the commonly held belief that children are not worth listening to. It is the opposite belief – that even the youngest children have a right to be heard – that is at the heart of CYCR’s work. The newspaper article illustrates well the context within which CYCR operates; a context where the ridiculing of children’s rights is seen as common sense, and the attempt to consult children seen as money wasted.
