‘Just another person in the room’: young people’s views on their participation in Child in Care Reviews

Abstract

This article discusses a key meeting for children in care – the Child in Care Review – and examines the extent to which children and young people are able to participate and exert a level of control over their lives. The research, conducted in England, formed part of a wider exploration of the views and experiences of all those involved in such reviews, namely Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs), social workers, senior managers and – the focus of this article – the young people concerned. Most of the children interviewed said that they found their reviews frustrating and stressful, often attributing this to poor relationships with social workers and scepticism about the value of the review process. However, they recognised the workload pressures facing social workers and the bureaucratic constraints affecting the service they received. The article argues for the continuing importance of the IRO role, given the consistency it provides for children in care. It also shows that while it provides an opportunity for children’s participation in discussions about their future, the Child in Care Review is underperforming. The developing practice of children chairing their own reviews offers one way forward and the article calls for this to be developed and for other creative methods to be introduced to enable young people to play a meaningful part in meetings that affect them.

The What, Why and How of Child Participation—A Review of the Conceptualization of “Child Participation” in Child Welfare

“…An example of such a study is that of Cudjoe et al (2020), which used Hart's model as a theoretical framework to guide the study about children's experiences in child protection meetings: being informed, presenting their view, and having influence on decisions. For those who see Hart's ladder as hierarchical, the expectation of a qualitatively better devotion to participation in each step is criticized because the levels do not necessarily work separately and in chronological order (Roose et al 2009;Diaz et al 2018).…”

“…In addition, the model includes three stages of professionals' commitments at each level: openings, opportunities and obligations. This model is referred to as an alternative (Pölkki et al 2012) or additional model (Diaz et al 2018;Dillon et al 2016). Treseder (1997), who presents a modified version of Hart's ladder model (Hart 1992) is another model referred to by several authors (Diaz et al 2018;Carter 2014;Roose et al 2009).…”

“…This model is referred to as an alternative (Pölkki et al 2012) or additional model (Diaz et al 2018;Dillon et al 2016). Treseder (1997), who presents a modified version of Hart's ladder model (Hart 1992) is another model referred to by several authors (Diaz et al 2018;Carter 2014;Roose et al 2009). Treseder moved away from the hierarchical notion of the ladder, and developed a circular model describing five degrees of participation, emphasizing that different types of participation are relevant to different contexts and circumstances.…”

“…Studies in this review refine the concept and convey their perspectives by referring to theories and by reflecting on them to a greater or lesser extent.Regardless of models, attendance at meetings, knowledge and understanding of CW is the most frequently used indicator of participation(Healy and Darlington 2009;Vis and Thomas 2009;Vis et al 2012;Pölkki et al 2012;Bruce 2014). Influence in decision making in formal meetings, such as case conferences, review meetings(Muench et al 2017;Vis et al 2012;Križ and Roundtree-Swain 2017;Vis and Thomas 2009;Bruce 2014;Diaz et al 2018;Cudjoe et al 2020), or interprofessional teams (Saebjørnsen and Willumsen 2017), are measured.…”

‘We are the same as everyone else just with a different and unique backstory’: Identity, belonging and ‘othering’ within education for young people who are ‘looked after’

“…Attending such meetings can present potential challenges for young people for instance in relation to frustrations at relationships with social workers/other professionals, a sense of lacking agency and becoming fraught in discussing stressful aspects of their lives (Diaz, Pert, & Thomas, 2018). Some young people talked specifically of attending these meetings but then missing learning opportunities including one young person (male, 13) who missed an in-class test that they were subsequently not allowed to re-sit.…”