ABSTRACT
Childhood is an evolving concept which reflects the conscious and unconscious preoccupations of a particular time and place. Any discussion of children’s rights invites deliberation on the nature of childhood and what it means to be a child in the UK at the start of the twenty-first century. Moving away from the concept of the child as ‘a person in the making’ toward the idea of the child as a ‘being’ in their own right, with a voice and active agency, resets the power balance between children and adults and places the child at the center of the picture. Focusing on the uniqueness of the child, rather than on childhood as a generic concept, allows for a richer understanding of how identities are formed and of the relationship between biology and culture. Recognizing and valuing a child for who they are in the here and now, rather than as an adult in the making, are seen as crucial to the development of systems (education, healthcare, social care, justice) which serve the needs and wishes of children, rather than being constructed on their behalf from the minds of adults.
