Family support services are increasingly evaluating their programs and practices to better understand how they work and how to improve them.

For people working with children and/or delivering programs that seek to benefit children, involving children in evaluation with purpose and care can give you valuable insights and perspectives you might otherwise miss. You cannot fully understand how such programs work and/or are experienced without hearing directly from children.

Children also have a right to participate in evaluation under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Article 12 of the UNCRC states that children have a right to be listened to when decisions will affect them, and that those views should be taken seriously and be responded to (United Nations, 1989). However, evaluation practices that involve children are under-used in child and family services

This guide outlines the reasons to involve children in program evaluation and includes some practical considerations and approaches to collecting data from children.

This guide is primarily intended for use by child and family support professionals who work directly with children and are involved in undertaking or commissioning an evaluation in their organisation. The content will also be relevant to other professionals working with children.