This guide has been developed to help organisations understand the value of involving children and young people in decisions that affect them, and to walk you through aspects to consider when involving children and young people in decision making processes that affect them.

Few within government would deny that evidence-based policy-making is important to achieving good outcomes. Australia’s history provides ample support for that. But it is also apparent that practice over the past decade has fallen short of the ideals espoused.

Governments aren’t doing the research needed to underpin rigorous policy development, worries Grattan Institute CEO, John Daley.

Influencing policy making can be more a matter of influencing outside organisations than influencing the government.

This review synthesises empirical and theoretical studies about groups engaging with highly technical information and applying clear and efficient processes that take into account diversity of membership in order to make collective decisions.