The notion of listening to children so that they can participate in decision-making about their everyday lives has become an established principle of child law and policy in England and Wales. That there are fundamental constraints to putting this principle into practice, however, is widely acknowledged, particularly in the context of divorce and parental conflict. This article shows how the operation of the welfare principle in an English context constrains children's participation within private law proceedings. It goes on to explore children's own discourses around the issue of being listened to and reviews current debates about their participation in the light of this evidence. The children's commentaries offer fresh insights into what it means to listen to children, along with some new ways of thinking about young people's citizenship within and outside their families.
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