Based on the input from the Children’s Ombudspersons in the Nordic countries, and in line with recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, these are the recommendations that I would make. They offer a roadmap for moving forward. They aim to strengthen the implementation of children’s rights, including their rights to participation, development, protection, and best interests, particularly in times of crisis. The term ‘children’ below covers children and young people.
Main recommendations (specified below)
Establish and maintain permanent, inclusive structures for children’s participation at all levels of governance, and use them in times of crisis.
Provide timely, age-appropriate and accessible information to children in relevant languages and formats, including during crises.
Provide targeted support to children at risk of being marginalised, including those facing poverty, disability, or social exclusion, to facilitate their participation.
Ensure systematic training for all relevant professionals working with children, in children’s rights, and meaningful participation.
Undertake systematic Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIA) before measures are adopted and executed, including in times of crisis.
Ensure children’s right to health, survival, and development by safeguarding school health services and mental health support to children.
Ensure children’s right to leisure activities and education, even in times of crisis.
General measures of implementation
Legislation
A child rights approach should be integrated in all legislation, policies, and guidelines related to crisis preparedness and response.
Countries should have crisis management legislation in place, developed, and adopted in normal times (non-crisis) to ensure readiness.
Children’s participation and best interests should be explicitly mentioned.
Comprehensive policy and action plans
Countries should have in place a national, coordinated policy with clear structures and action plans for crisis management.
The policy should include a specific focus on children, grounded in their rights as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
There should be a comprehensive national action plan on how to safeguard children’s rights in crisis situations – a dedicated crisis management plan for children. This plan should cover key rights, including children’s right to participation, education, health, and protection.
The plan should have a child rights approach. It should
specify how and when children are to be included in crisis-related decision-making, and
specify how to discover and follow up children at risk when the normal safety net is suspended or weakened.
set up clear, measurable goals and actions to achieve the goals and
have a clear division of responsibility across relevant sectors and government levels.
All municipalities should have similar action plans. National guidelines should exist for these plans.
Protocols for Rapid Response Mechanisms should include a child rights perspective.
Coordination
Well-functioning, high-level cooperation bodies should exist in normal times and should be activated during crisis management to ensure effective cross-sectoral coordination.
The ministry responsible for children’s rights should be formally represented in the national crisis management body.
The children’s ombudspersons should serve as advisors to the crisis management body from the outset of any emergency. This role is complementary to the direct participation of children themselves (see section on participation).
Good practices
Iceland
Initially, the Ministry of Health announced the vaccination of children aged 12–15 without consulting the Ombudsman for Children. However, during preparations for vaccinating even younger children at a later stage, the Ministry engaged in consultation with the Ombudsman, reflecting improved recognition of the importance of child-rights perspectives in public health decisions.
Norway
The government has established a permanent structure – not limited to crisis situations – called the Core Group for Work with Children in Vulnerable Situations (KUBU).
The Ombudsperson believes KUBU has the potential to significantly impact how the state addresses issues and measures affecting children and young people.
KUBU consists of the top administrative heads of 8 ministries and the directors of relevant directorates (government agencies), in total 13 different government bodies.
KUBU receives shared mandates from its responsible ministries (The Core Group of Ministries).
KUBU focuses on cross-sectoral challenges such as juvenile justice and effective preventative work.
Data collection
Governments should initiate a comprehensive review of how children and young people have been affected by the pandemic, based on a synthesis of studies, evaluations, and research. The review should
identify what children need now and what will be important in the next crisis and
give the voices of children and young people strong weight, ensuring that their lived experiences inform future planning and policy.
Good practices
Iceland
In spring 2020, the Ombudsman for Children launched a project collecting children’s perspectives on Covid-19. It was repeated several times, the fourth and last in spring 2022, each time with a particular focus (see Iceland’s report). A summary and report have been published. These narratives provide valuable insight, and the project serves as a model that could be replicated by responsible authorities in other countries.
Co-operation with civil society
States should actively consult civil society in the development of child-focused national crisis plans and ensure their involvement in the implementation of these plans.
Civil society organisations should be recognised as key first responders in crisis and their role be formalised through legislation.
Good practices
Denmark
Several ‘economic support packages’ were introduced, one key aim of which was to support children’s and youth organisations in intensifying their work with vulnerable children and young people.
Sweden
The Swedish Federation of Student Unions held weekly meetings with the Education Department during the pandemic.
Access to justice
Countries should ensure that all children have access to confidential, child-friendly, and independent complaint mechanisms (General comment No. 14, para. 15 (c), General comment No. 27 on children’s access to justice (expected 2027).
Non-discrimination (Article 2)
Identify and provide targeted support to groups of children who are especially at risk of being affected during crisis, such as children in economically or socially vulnerable situations or children with disabilities (see General comment No. 5, para. 12).
The individuality and diversity of children should be taken into account in the countries’ use of Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIA), to facilitate specific measures tailored to the needs of vulnerable groups and young children.
Best interests of the child (Article 3 no. 1)
States should include in all relevant legislation a provision stating that the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration (General comment No. 14, para. 15 (a), 31).
Legislation should also include clear criteria for how the best interests of the child are to be assessed.
Systematic Child Rights Impact Assessments (CRIA) should be carried out before measures are adopted and executed, including during times of crisis (General comment No. 14, para. 35).
This requirement should be reflected in the government regulation or guidelines for impact assessments to be undertaken in the preparations for legislation, budgets, plans, etc.
Assessments of the challenges children face today, and in the future, should take into account that they have lived through two years of sustained pandemic and that this may have lasting effects on their needs and development.
Good practices
Norway
The best interests of the child and children’s right to be heard have been incorporated into the government’s impact assessment tools. The Guidance Notes on Instructions for Official Studies (mandatory for all assessments and preparations of central government measures) are a key tool for the impact assessment of public cases. They were updated in 2024 to include specific guidance on both rights.
The Ombudsperson has also developed an e-learning programme on assessing the best interests of the child, both at an individual and system level. The course is intended for everyone working with and for children.
Sweden
Åland
In spring 2020, online meetings were held with municipalities and civil society actors to consult and share information on the situation concerning children’s rights, among others. These consultations proved valuable for shaping strategies during the crisis and could be further developed into a platform for regular exchange both in emergencies and under normal circumstances.
Right to development (art. 6)
For children’s right to development to be realised, it is vital that countries ensure children’s right to participation, as ‘child participation is a tool to stimulate the full development of the personality and the evolving capacities of the child’ (General comment No. 12, para. 79).
Respect for the views of the child (art. 12)
General
States should ensure that children and youth are involved in the development, implementation, and monitoring of all relevant legislation, policies, services, and programmes affecting their lives, at school and at the community, local, national, and international levels (General comment No. 20, para. 23, regarding adolescents). Participation requires Space, Voice, Audience, and Influence.
Legislation
Structures for participation
Permanent, sustainable structures for hearing children and including their views in decision-making should be established and maintained in normal times (General comment No. 12, para. 19; General comment No. 26, para. 27; Tisdall and Morrison, 2025, 5.4).
This applies to both individual children and groups of children
Existing participatory structures must be upheld and used in times of crisis (General comment No. 12, para. 125, General comment No. 20, para. 79–80).
All processes in which a child or children are heard and participate, should fulfil the requirements set out in General comment No. 12, para. 134 (a)–(i).
Structures must be inclusive and accessible, accommodating children with special needs and younger children (General comment No. 12, paras. 75–78, General comment No. 7, para. 14).
Mechanisms for involving children in decision-making should exist at all levels – nationally, regionally, and locally – and at all stages of the process, from planning to implementation and evaluation.
Municipalities should have structures for involving children and including their views in planning and decision-making.
Youth councils should be established in all municipalities, preferably as a legal requirement.
Schools should serve as democratic arenas for developing students’ critical thinking, collaboration and leadership skills, and local-level participation (General comment No. 20, para. 72).
Student councils should represent the diversity of students and be actively involved in decision-making on issues of their own choice, including during emergencies, with adult support and guidance.
Countries should consider establishing a Youth Crisis Response Team, with young people represented among adults, to ensure that young people are actively involved in crisis preparedness, response, and recovery, with real influence in decision-making processes (see the Youth chapter).
Participatory structures should be regularly reviewed and evaluated to determine whether they function effectively in times of crisis, and children should be involved in this.
The obligation to ensure children’s participation should be embedded in mission documents, assignment letters, and mandates, to ensure that ministries, government agencies, and directorates comply.
Children in vulnerable situations
Countries should identify and provide targeted support to groups of children at risk of not being heard, such as children living in poor families, children from minority backgrounds, and others in vulnerable situations.
Children with special needs should receive adequate support to enable their participation, whether in person or digitally (General comment No. 9 (2006), para. 33, General comment No. 12, para. 134 (e), General comment No. 25, paras 9–11).
Digital alternatives may be helpful, both at the individual and group level, particularly as a way to compensate for not participating in youth councils or similar forums.
Young children should receive the necessary support to participate. Kindergartens should involve children to empower them and help them develop participating skills.
Countries should support key actors who are important in enabling children’s participation, including children with special needs.
Good practices
Åland
A youth council under the umbrella of the Åland Federation of Organisations working to promote rights of persons with disabilities was carried out in 2021–2022. The forum gathered young people with disabilities aged 13–24 and held many discussions including sharing experiences from the pandemic. A report with recommendations was produced as a result.
Methodology
A variety of methods for facilitating children’s participation should be gathered at national and Nordic level and made available to authorities at all levels.
Digital methods of participation should be established to ensure broad and inclusive participation (see General comment No. 25, paras 16–18). Such methods should be used where in-person meetings are not possible, or as a complement to physical meetings.
Each country should consider establishing a national resource centre for child participation, to gather and develop methodology, provide training, and give support and advice to authorities at all levels. A Nordic institution could be given a coordination role, for instance NORDBUK.
Good practices
Finland
A national online survey conducted by the Ministry of Education and Culture explored the experiences of pupils in basic education from spring and early autumn 2020. The results were used to inform the development of legislation on education. More than 58,000 pupils responded.
Finland
Children’s ombudsperson’s mechanisms:
Young advisers’ model. Regular discussions with different groups of children representing the lives and everyday realities of children, 6–10 meetings annually
Child barometer. A telephone survey every two years on the lives and everyday realities of children aged 6–7, aiming to examine children’s own views on themes that concern them.
Creative studies of children’s views, for example a study in which third-graders drew, painted, and wrote about their coronavirus experiences. The publication showed that it only takes minor arrangements to collect information on the views of even a large group of children and that it is important to offer children several alternative ways of expressing themselves, their own experiences, and thought.
Finland (and Åland exploring)
The Digiraati digital panel, widely introduced in 2024, is an online service maintained and produced by the Ministry of Justice. It enables everyone aged under 29 years to get their voice heard on various societal issues. A final statement is formed on the topic discussed by the panel, published in the service and forwarded by the panel organiser to relevant authorities. Panels can be organised by ministries, municipalities, well-being services, counties, other authorities, schools, educational institutions, or non-governmental organisations.
Norway
Åland
In September 2020, ‘citizen talks’ (medborgarsamtal) – focus groups open to the public – were held throughout Åland. They were organised by the sustainability council (Bärkraft.ax) and the Åland government, aimed directly at engaging the population to share thoughts on the pandemic and a way to facilitate participation in overall societal change. Two of the sessions were specifically targeted at young people.
Since 2014, Save the Children Åland has employed and trained six ‘pilots’ aged 14–17 years every summer to raise awareness among children and adults on the United Nations’ Child Rights’ Convention.
Feedback to children
Countries should ensure that decision-makers inform the children of the outcome of the process and explain how their views were considered. The feedback is a guarantee that children’s views are heard not only as a formality, but are taken seriously (General comment No. 12, para. 45).
Training
Countries should ensure that professionals working with and for children receive training on a regular basis on how to talk to children, listen to them, take their views into account, and provide feedback after decisions are made (General comment No. 12, para. 134 (g)).
Good practices
Denmark
Parents and professionals who work with children are provided with tools to support conversations with them about their experiences. For example, the Danish Public Health Authority developed materials for schools and parents to help them talk to children about Covid-19.
Norway
The Ombudsperson has developed an e-learning programme offering guidance on child participation, both at an individual and a systems level. The courses will be useful for everyone working with and for children.
Snakkemedbarn.no is a free, interactive online resource developed by the Norwegian Competence Centres for Violence and Traumatic Stress (RVTS) to help professionals such as teachers, healthcare workers, and social services staff practise sensitive conversations with children and adolescents about difficult topics like abuse, neglect, and trauma (in Norwegian only).
Empowering youth
Youth should be seen as a resource not only in crises but also in everyday governance and planning (General comment No. 20, para. 2–4, 23). Regular involvement empowers children and youth and is a means of political and civil engagement (General comment No. 20, para. 24), fostering readiness and confidence to contribute during emergencies.
Voluntary work involving young people and senior citizens could be organised in a systematic way outside of crisis situations, to help youth build agency and a sense of contribution and belonging to the society.
Communities could engage young people in voluntary work (inspired by World War 2) as part of society’s response to crises, by youth supporting youth, young people visiting elderly people, or contributing in other ways.
Right to information, Articles 12 and 17
The child’s right to access information is a prerequisite for realising children’s participation under Article 12, as well as a stand-alone right under Article 17, see General comment No. 12 para. 82.
When children are invited to express their views, they must be provided with clear, accessible, and relevant information about the issue at hand, the broader context, options, and possible decisions to be taken and their consequences (General comment No. 12, para. 25).
The information must be timely, age-appropriate, and adapted to children’s varying needs.
In times of crisis, there should be information and communication specifically aimed at children and young people, as well as their families and caregivers (General comment No. 26, para. 34, in the context of climate change-related disasters).
Information should be presented through channels that children use, such as digital platforms (General comment No. 20, paras. 47–48, General comment No. 25, paras 50–53) and other relevant media.
In times of no crisis, information about crisis preparedness should also be made available to children in a child-friendly format.
Good practices
Websites
Lilla krisinfo launched in 2023 by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), which is part of the national website krisinformation.se, provides child-friendly information on crises and current events. The website presents information in a way that is easily accessible and adapted to children’s needs and questions.
National information campaigns
The Swedish Public Health Agency ran a Covid-19 campaign aimed at children, adolescents, and young adults in all forms of school and educational settings.
In Iceland, the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management placed emphasis on ensuring that children received appropriate information.
Television Channels
DR Ultra, a children and youth television channel on Denmark’s largest public service broadcaster, Danmarks Radio, produced some special programmes where children had the opportunity to ask virus experts about their concerns and experiences.
Lilla aktuellt is a programme broadcast by Swedish Television (SVT) since 1993 and aimed at children aged 9–12. The programme brings adapted news, providing children with social information in an accessible way. Many schools in Sweden regularly include Lilla Aktuellt in their lessons.
Press conferences for children and young people
The Prime Minister of Denmark participated in a number of press conferences during the lockdown where DR Ultra’s child reporters had the opportunity to ask questions about Covid-19.
The Swedish Minister for Children’s Affairs held press conferences for children and young people about the pandemic. This is also seen in several other Nordic countries.
Right to health, Article 24
School health services should be safeguarded during crises. School health nurses should not be reassigned to other duties. If children are not physically present at school, the nurse and other services should remain accessible in alternative ways.
Mental health and psychosocial support services should be easily accessible for children in times of crisis.
In implementing measures such as testing and vaccination, special attention should be paid to children.
Good practices
Greenland
Iceland
Following the Ombudsman’s intervention, children were tested separately, allowed to move ahead in queues, and assigned specifically selected testing staff. The Ombudsman also argued against vaccinating children at school during school hours, because schools should be a safe place for children.
Åland
A project launched in 2022 to address structural barriers to children’s and young people’s mental health and well-being, and the Youth Aware of Mental Health pilot in a school to improve children’s knowledge of mental health, stress, and crisis.
Right to education, Article 28 and 29
Right to leisure activities, Article 31
Countries should ensure children’s access to leisure activities even in times of crisis.
If restrictions must be imposed, they should be adapted to children’s situation with the aim of keeping activities open as far as possible.
National and local authorities should involve civil society organisations and children in decision-making in this regard.
Countries should ensure that children are provided with information about alternative ways of engaging in activities together with their peers.