children's environments research group
Child Friendly Places

Child Friendly Places

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Child Friendly Places is an approach for integrating children’s rights into local development initiatives and educational programs through a participatory, intergenerational and child friendly assessment and planning methodology that empowers communities to improve their local conditions and environments with children, adolescents, families, educators, service providers and decision makers.

For more information, contact Dr. Pamela Wridt: pamelawridt@yahoo.com

Research-Based Case Studies

Learn more about how this methodology is being used around the world. Initially developed and piloted in nine countries with UNICEF for Child Friendly Cities and Communities, the methods and tools continue to be adapted, scaled and implemented in more than 30 countries  by a range of organizations interested in children’s rights. To date more than 65,000 children, adolescents, parents and service providers have participated in the assessment process, as documented in 55 research-based case studies representing diverse community settings within urban development and humanitarian contexts.

Research Publications

Learn more about the process and outcomes of the assessment methodology through research and evaluation publications. Research-based outcomes include: a) individual or family outcomes (such as increased awareness of children’s rights and intergenerational empathy); b) organization or group outcomes (such as improved capacity to implement positive youth development practices); c) community or municipal outcomes (such as cleaner streets, new schools, improved pedestrian safety and the establishment of children’s councils); and d) policy or systems outcomes (such as cross-sectoral planning for children, and improved monitoring and evaluation of community conditions for children).

Indicator Databanks

Learn more about the assessment topics and items being investigated by children and their communities, with technical support from organizations like UNICEF and Plan International.

Facilitator Guides

Explore guidebooks for empowering local governments, adult allies and adolescents as facilitators of the assessment methodology.

Acknowledgements

This research was generously funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (Office of Research), UNICEF Education Section (International Headquarters), Plan International, and the US Fund for UNICEF.