One of the National Children’s Bureau/Barnardos ‘Highlight’ series (no.196), this paper focuses on children’s participation in the ‘private’ decision-making of everyday family life.

It examines a small but growing body of literature and discusses a number of key findings which include:

• Family decision-making is part of an informal, on-going interaction between parents and children


• Parents have power to structure the level of participation children are allowed, but children can increase this by negotiating within the boundaries set by their parents


• The concept of a democratic family appears inadequate, as children are nearly always in a less powerful position than their parents and so family decision-making structures are essentially unequal, with children’s involvement working within adult structures rather than in parallel with them

Contains a useful list of references.

Produced by the Library & Information Service of the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), together with Barnardos, 2003.

Available from the NCB Library and Information Service.

Tel: 020 7843 6008
Email: library@ncb.org.uk

Price: £2.00