3. Methodology The assessment of how much knowledge the Maldives (State and society) possesses of children’s right to participation was conducted in two stages: a desk review of existing policy and legal mechanisms related to children’s participation complemented by interviews with stakeholders; and focus group discussions with children complemented by a consultative meeting with parents and teachers. Focus group discussions were held on 1 November 2011 with a total of fifteen children divided into three separate categories: children in secondary school; children in primary school; and secondary school children with special needs. The initial plan was to hold the discussions in five separate groups: children in primary school; children in leadership roles in secondary school; children in secondary school; children with special needs (primary school); and children with special needs (secondary school). However, turn out on the day of the meetings was low, and the two groups of secondary students were merged into one. Only secondary school students in the special needs group attended, therefore, focus group discussions planned with primary school children with special needs were cancelled. There were six children in Group One (secondary school children); four children in Group Two (primary school children); and five children in Group Three (children with special needs). The focus group format was based on an adaptation of the ‘Kaleidoscope of Experience’, a tool developed for a similar, larger scale study on child participation in Finland conducted by the Council of Europe (See Outcome of Focus Groups for a more detailed explanation of the tool, and Appendix I and II for full details of its application and questions asked). The Council of Europe-led pilot study in Finland was carried out in September 2010 on child participation in Finland, the results of which were published in 20116. The research design for the Finnish project was based on the Council of Europe policy review framework on child and youth participation 2010-2011, which is itself adapted from the UN Committee’s General Comment No.12 on the implementation of the right of the child to be heard in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)7. Children in the three groups talked about their experiences in the designated focus areas of family; education; play; children in alternative care; children in situations of violence; and children in public life, media and general society. Group three, comprised of five children with special needs, participated in the discussions with the assistance of two carers/teachers who helped explain the questions to them and assisted the focus group mediator in conducting the discussions. All the 6 Council of Europe, “Child and youth participation in Finland”, 2011, accessed on 12 October 2011, http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/children/participation/PolicyReview_en.pdf 7 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, “General Comment No. 12: The right of the child to be heard”, (UN 2009), accessed on 13 October 2011, http://www.coe.int/t/dg3/children/participation/CRC-C-GC-12.pdf 6