An Imperative to Include Children’s Voices in Policy Development: Part of the Solution to Understanding the Impact of Policy on Children’s Mental Health

The recent JAACAP editorial by Pumariega¹ uses evidence of the unintended consequences of US immigration policy to offer a broader lesson about the direct and indirect consequences of policy on the mental health of children and youth (herein children). Pumariega calls for data standards and transparency for state-level databases on policies affecting the status of children to "move us toward evidence-based vs ideologically based policy development that is sensitive to mental health needs of children."¹ The International Network for Epidemiology in Policy (INEP) represents 24 epidemiology societies across the globe and works to address policies that have global public health impacts. We would take Pumariega's argument further and suggest that there is a global imperative not only to consider the needs of children but also to include their voices about their physical and mental health and right to a healthy future in policy development. Prioritizing the well-being of children in policy development in this way will have an impact over their life course. Including children in decision making also guards against teleological perspectives of child development that view adulthood as the purpose of childhood, which undermines the dignity and equality of children and their experiences.² Soon after adoption of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Lancet Commission placed the health and well-being of children at the center of the SDGs. This work continues as Children in All Policies 2030 (CAP-2030; https://cap-2030.org) to ensure that children reach their potential. The CAP-2030 initiative partners with child activists and coalitions, with the participation of an advisory board of 21 young people from 16 different countries, to amplify and center children's voices in national and global policymaking.