Displaying 1 - 10 of 99
Abstract
Background
Having a voice in family matters is considered a protective factor from harm, and key to promoting children’s wellbeing. However, since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and specifically Article 12 pertaining to children’s participation, research reveals that children’s voices often remain invisible in child protection and family welfare…
Abstract
Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provides children with the right to express their views in matters that affect them, particularly those of an administrative and judicial nature. This paper examines the academic discourse in child protection research concerning how Article 12 of the CRC is implemented and how it is manifested in child protection service (CPS) casework practices. The systematic review was performed following the principles of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) statement and included 16…
Abstract
This article explores child welfare workers’ experiences of children’s participation in decision making in the child protection system. The systematic review follows the principles of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and includes 12 peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals from 2009 to 2019. Findings indicate that children’s participation in decision making is generally limited or nonexistent. The age of the child is an important determining factor concerning whether the child is given the opportunity to participate in…
Abstract
More than three decades ago, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child signalled to an international audience that all children under the age of 18 years are to be regarded as having certain rights. These rights include the right to be actively involved in decisions that affect their lives. In spite of this international obligation, which has been translated globally into policy and legislation across the world, little is known about the extent to which it is enacted in practice for young people living in residential care. This article reports on a systematic…
Abstract
Youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems have numerous unmet health needs and long-term negative health outcomes. Photovoice is a qualitative research method in which participants produce photographs and narratives to communicate their perspectives. While Photovoice has been used in various contexts relating to at-risk youth, no known study has been conducted among youth in the foster care or juvenile justice systems. However, numerous challenges exist for the inclusion of at-risk youth in research. Thirteen youth from a group home in Taiwan for teenage boys in the…
Abstract
This article compares and contrasts two humanitarian emergencies and their impact on Nepal: these are the Nepal earthquake in 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. It explains how each emergency has impacted children without parental care or at risk of family separation, with specific reference to orphanage trafficking, voluntourism, child institutionalisation and family preservation. In relation to each emergency, the article considers the role of disaster preparedness; the roles of the Nepal government, the international community and civil society; and the significance of one…
Abstract
There is a growing literature on how children are heard in the field of child welfare, often with indications of how difficult it may be to fulfil their right to be heard. This article examines children’s spokespersons’ accounts of speaking with children in care proceedings about their views and wishes. The study consists of interviews with 22 children’s spokespersons in Norway. Study findings question whether children in care proceedings understand the invitation to voice their wishes as confined to matters relating to the proceedings. Based on their accounts of their practices,…
Abstract
Youth with experience in foster care encounter complex institutionalized power and oppression relations in the foster care system. When youth emancipate out of the foster care system, they often do not experience the freedom or agency that the notion of emancipation implies. Such power and oppression relations can be further manifested in research processes and practice. This paper discusses how research related to youth with experience in foster care can be conducted in an emancipatory manner with researchers actively supporting the liberation of youth with experience in foster…
Abstract
This article explores children’s views and experiences of participation within the context of child protection assessment practice. The findings of this study enable child protection workers as well as other professionals to learn from children, what is needed to better engage children to participate in matters affecting them. A small-scale study included 14 children registered as children in need of assistance in child protective services from one region in Estonia through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Findings indicate that children’s experiences and memories of their…
Abstract
Summary
This article presents the results of a qualitative study whose objective was to collect information on the perceptions of changes in parents and their children who are in the Spanish foster care system after completing a positive parenting programme.
Findings
The participants in the focus groups included 66 parents and 57 children. Triangulation of the voices of all protagonists identified findings that suggest the need for changes regarding understanding foster care measures and the process of family resilience; the…