ABSTRACT
This is an impossible chapter to write, as an adult cannot go into childhood to describe what it is like and adults do not have the communication skills to understand what children have to tell us about their lives. The result is that trained adults need to act as representatives for children, acting on their behalf. This places a great deal of responsibility on these adults who must screen their thinking very carefully to sort out what is wishful thinking, what is nostalgia about their own childhood, what is a rationalising of their own parenting style and what is professional interpretation on behalf of contemporary children. Although we cannot avoid all aspects of subjectivity it is necessary that we try to develop an understanding of what are the children’s criteria.
