‘Promoting children's participation in decisions concerning their health’. Such was the theme of the session organised by the Human Rights and Biomedicine Division as part of the mid-term review conference of the Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027). The conference was held in Strasbourg from 3 to 4 April 2025, under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The Council of Europe's recent works on the topic were presented, namely the Guide on children's participation in decisions about their health, now available in ten languages, and the new child-friendly version of the guide, which was launched during the event.
The child-friendly version was co-developed with a group of young people, several of whom took an active part in the conference, through presentations and role-play and by engaging in the panel discussions with invited experts and health professionals.
Discussions were rich and revisited the importance and benefits of children's participation, and common challenges in implementation, including in complex situations or situations of disagreement. It was emphasised that the participation of children is crucial in such situations, as it is in everyday medicine and during routine examinations.
Decision-making should be seen as a process, and every meeting with a health professional is an important moment and an opportunity to talk to children and improve their health-related knowledge for the future. Simple things can sometimes make a huge difference, and not involving children can have very lasting negative effects, particularly on their mental health.
Speakers also discussed tools or mechanisms that can help in the event of disagreements between people involved in decisions, with examples of intercultural mediation and of clinical ethics committees, stressing the importance of seeking external support to tackle difficult situations.
