Conditions for change for children and young people's participation in evaluation: 'Change-scape'

Under what conditions does participatory monitoring and evaluation with children result in positive outcomes and transformational change on a personal, institutional and broader societal level? Using cases from Nepal and UK, the 'Changescape' structures the conditions that determine whether evidence from children participating in evaluation is utilised by decision-makers to shape services and inform strategic processes. The emerging model links context with the process of children's participation and is grounded in case study research in which three evaluations were revisited: DFID funded 'Rights through Evaluation' research with ActionAid and a community-based organisation in Nepal; the evaluation of the Saying Power scheme, run by Save the Children across the UK; and the Croydon Children's Fund evaluation in London. The discussion highlights how conditions for change and mechanisms of communication and collaboration can facilitate or block change in response to children's participation in evaluation. The Change-scape helped to structure findings on how: context can affect the way in which policy makers and community members respond to children's perspectives; capacity, confidence, and champions for children can affect decision-makers responses to children's evidence; mechanisms of communication and collaboration can create more space for dialogue and increase commitment to change.