Children advising British government

A new study funded by the British government is focused on surveying children under the age of 5 how local services can be improved.

Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Young Children's Voice Networks is asking children, toddlers and even babies how to improve services ranging from playtime to scholastic transitions, The Mail on Sunday said.

Sue Owen, who heads up the Early Childhood Unit at the National Children's Bureau, said the effort was actually aimed at gathering youngsters' opinions on social services.

There's a growing acceptance that asking the very young for their opinions is both possible and important, Owen told the newspaper.

We basically ask them, 'What do you like?' We have done that with older children in the past very routinely, so it seems logical to do it with babies and toddlers as well.

A report will be created based on the youngsters' responses and will be distributed to government officials for review once completed, the Mail reported.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International