Towards Independence: The Development of Children’s Capability to Have a Voice in Their Healthcare

Despite international healthcare charters supporting the principle that children should be listened to during healthcare encounters, children still struggle to have their views heard in healthcare. The aim of this study was to understand children’s and young people’s views of expressing their views and having those views heard in Australian healthcare. Child-centred qualitative research was the methodology employed and “Draw, write and tell” methods [Angell et al. (2015). “‘Draw, Write and Tell’: A Literature Review and Methodological Development on the ‘Draw and Write’ Research Method.” Journal of Early Childhood Research 13 (1): 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X14538592] were used to collect data from twenty children and young people between the ages of 7 and 18 years. An inductive qualitative content analysis identified a process whereby children move from a place of dependence towards independence and developing capability in having a voice in their own healthcare. Drawing on work from Brando, Nico [(2020). “Children's Abilities, Freedom, and the Process of Capability-Formation.” Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 21 (3): 249–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2020.1767547], it was identified that this process relied on the existence of development opportunities (zones of proximal development) and the conversion factors of time, health professional relationships, communication, teamwork and family support. Identifying this process is an important step in understanding how health professionals can support children to develop capability to have a voice in their healthcare. This is the first known study to use a capability approach to examine how children develop their voices and move from dependence towards independence in healthcare.