Listen, Hear, Take Action: Child-Friendly Feedback Mechanisms

We ask children for their opinions, but do we really tell them the outcome of these opinions? If not, what we are doing is not real participation, but may be what is called 'tokenism' in appearance.

One of the key tools for ensuring meaningful, rights-based, and sustainable participation of children in decision-making processes is 'feedback.' Although children's participation as a right is no different from adult participation, it is our responsibility as adults to develop child-appropriate tools, encourage their participation, and then close the loop by informing the child.

So, how do we transition from a system where children only say what we want to hear, to a feedback mechanism that truly transforms civil society organizations?

Child-focused feedback systems are structures established to enable children to express their opinions, complaints, and suggestions regarding the services they receive (such as material support, scholarships), the programs or workshops they participate in, and the environments they are in (workshop spaces, association/center venues, excursion sites, etc.) in ways unique to them. These systems are not just about asking children questions; they also mean opening up a safe, accessible, and respected space where they are taken seriously.

Why are child-focused feedback systems important?

Most of the time, children think that their opinions will not be asked anyway, that they will not be taken seriously as 'children,' and even if they are, their impact on changing anything is limited. However, as child participation is increasingly recognized not as a privilege granted at the discretion of adults but as a right, the understanding that child participation is not a reward offered to them also becomes clear to children.

Reminding children that it is not 'normal' for adults to make decisions on their behalf and that participating in decisions in proportion to their capacities is their right also serves as a protective mechanism for children.

Child-focused feedback is an inseparable part of child participation. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees the child's right to express their views on matters affecting them. If you ask children for their opinions but do not inform them of the outcomes, this is not genuine participation, but rather "tokenism." The feedback system certifies that the child is not an object of the process but an active subject.

What do child-focused feedback systems achieve?

• Supports child safety.

It prevents child protection policy documents and procedures from remaining only on paper. With feedback systems, we do not only ask, "Did you like the activity?" At the same time, we give children the opportunity to report situations that make them uncomfortable (peer bullying, inappropriate behavior by an adult, physical safety issues), even if they cannot say it directly to someone.

• Strengthens the accountability mechanism.

The feedback system makes civil society organizations' responsibility to children more transparent. By conveying the message, "We offer you this service/support, but you have the right to criticize/audit it," it helps to correct the power imbalance between adults and children.

• Fosters organizational learning.

Children's views allow the organization to identify its blind spots. While everything may seem fine in a workshop, receiving feedback from a child that we might not have noticed enables the organization to improve the next program based on the data.

• Helps children embrace their right to participate.

Providing feedback teaches children not just to 'complain,' but to observe, analyze a problem, and propose solutions. When a child sees that their opinion leads to any kind of change in a setting, they feel like a subject—a participant. They may begin to demand this in other settings as well. Thus, the perception that participation is a privilege granted to them disappears.

To understand why a child-focused feedback system is so important, a guiding question can be: Are we establishing this system so that children only say what we want to hear, or are we truly aiming for transformation?

So, what are the must-haves of child-focused feedback systems?

For a feedback system to be considered child-focused, it is expected to meet the following criteria:

• Appropriateness to age, development, and children's needs

Instead of complex surveys, it is important to use tools appropriate to children's developmental level, such as pictures, emojis, games, or storytelling for feedback.

• Safety and confidentiality

Along with appropriate tools, it should be assured to the child that there are no risks when they share their views. The risks mentioned here can even include sharing their comments within the community without their consent. Also, care should be taken that the person facilitating the workshop does not collect feedback, and that the person collecting the data is someone with whom the child already has a trust relationship.

• Accessibility and inclusiveness

The system must be accessible to every child (including those who are illiterate, have disabilities, or speak different languages).

• Transparency and recurring feedback

When a child provides feedback, they should receive the message, "We heard you and made this change." Otherwise, the system is nothing more than a 'complaint box.'

• Voluntariness

Children should not be forced to provide feedback. Even stating at the end of a workshop or as part of a game, "No one can leave without filling out this form," turns feedback into a 'task' and undermines honesty. Children should know they have the right to refuse to share their opinion and that doing so will not affect their participation in the workshop or how they are treated in any way.

• Effectiveness and meaningfulness

The feedback system should move beyond 'token participation.' What will be done with children's views and what kind of changes these views will foster must be planned in advance. Children should be able to say, feel, and see, "My words made a difference here."

When considering the essential elements of a child-focused feedback system, another question we can ask ourselves is: Are we establishing this system to focus on children's needs, or just to showcase our organization's work more attractively?

How does the child-focused feedback system cycle work?

The child-focused feedback system is a cycle consisting of preparation, implementation, and learning steps.

First Step: Preparation

This stage includes planning, ethical principles, and data management.

During planning, we decide on the timetable for the feedback process and which methods we will use for which children. In all work done for and with children, the ethical processes we must consider should be kept at our side throughout the feedback system and its applications. In summary, these principles include the best interests of the child (do no harm, age-appropriateness, benefit), child participation (voluntary participation, respect and dignity, safety, privacy, and confidentiality), and inclusiveness (justice and equality). Data management includes fulfilling obligations arising from data protection laws, the processes of coding, storing, and destroying data.

Second Step: Implementation

The implementation stage covers methods, tools, and child-friendly practices.

There are inclusive methods and tools that consider children's differences and individual needs. These include opening and closing circles, anonymous forms, cards, surveys, collecting feelings and thoughts via emojis or rating scales, dedicated feedback email addresses, interviews, and more. Feedback can also be collected from children through peer channels. At a more advanced level, our goal may be to decide together with children which methods to use. The focus here is to match the right questions with appropriate methods for children and to decide on the feedback period.
 
Child-friendly language is a tool we must always pay attention to in all documents we prepare and in written and verbal methods we use.

Preparing a child-friendly document consists of four main stages: message, text, feedback, and design. When creating content, grabbing children's attention and providing benefit should be prioritized. In writing the text, complex expressions should be avoided, short sentences should be used, and simple explanations should be provided for difficult words. Receiving feedback from children on the content and visual design during this process is useful for testing the clarity of the document.

Final Step: Learning

Learning includes sharing and follow-up feedback.

Sharing involves communicating relevant messages from the children’s feedback to different audiences using various reporting techniques. Presenting the views to different target audiences and institutions (such as children, volunteers, donors, the public sector) with different techniques enables the impact of these views to be seen more quickly and supports accountability. Reports prepared for children should also use a child-friendly language approach. Additionally, it is recommended that these views support organizational learning by helping errors and mistakes to be recognized and discussed.

Follow-up feedback is the step that closes the cycle of child participation. It is a critical stage that should not be skipped to ensure children do not feel that "nothing changes even if I express my opinion." An analysis should be prepared in a format that children can understand, stating what among their suggestions can be done and when, and which cannot be done and for what reasons, and it should be made accessible. For example, "30 out of the 50 feedbacks you sent were about the playroom. As a result, we talked to management and are purchasing these three items." or "You requested a pool for the playroom, but due to safety regulations, we cannot do this." Even such a statement at the beginning will be enough for children to feel that their views are valued.

Another question that can help us reflect is: Is the system working: Are children telling us only what we want to hear? Or are we only reporting what we want to hear?

Listen, hear, act

The child-focused feedback mechanism starts with a genuine curiosity for children's views, continues with the establishment of the system through careful planning and the right questions, and is completed by informing children about what was done and what was not based on their feedback, thereby closing the loop.

It is recommended that the child-focused feedback system be reviewed with children approximately every six months. Because listening to children is not a choice—ensuring their rights are realized meaningfully and in a timely manner is our responsibility as adults.

Where to start?

We can look at ourselves and our organization using the checklist for child-focused feedback mechanisms shared below.

The 'I don't know' option is not a mistake; it is data—it may show that although there is such a regulation in your organization, you are not aware of it, thus revealing a gap in information flow. For this reason, it is recommended that everyone in the organization fill out the form individually first.