How child inclusive were Australia's responses to COVID‐19?. Issue 1 (24th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bessell, Sharon; Vuckovic, Celia
• Is Part Of: Australian journal of social issues. Volume 58:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 194
• Page End: 211
• Publication Date: 2022-08-24
• Subjects: child‐centred policy -- child‐inclusive policy -- children -- COVID‐19; Australia -- Social policy -- Periodicals; Social service -- Australia -- Periodicals; Australia -- Social conditions -- Periodicals; Social conditions; Social service; Social policy; Australia; Periodicals; 362.99405
• DOI: 10.1002/ajs4.232
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0157-6321

Abstract

Abstract: From March 2020, Australia introduced a range of policies to respond to COVID‐19, most of which impacted significantly on the lives of children. This article applies a child‐centred framework, developed from rights‐based participatory research with children, to analyse how children have been represented in policy narratives around COVID‐19 and the extent to which policy responses have been child‐inclusive or child‐centred. We argue that, overall, COVID‐19 policy responses have failed to be child‐inclusive or child‐centred. This has important implications not only for understanding the impact of COVID‐19 on children but also in understanding—and potentially rethinking—the place of children in policies as Australia emerges from COVID‐19 restrictions.