Promoting children's rights through the use of relationship

Abstract

This paper reports on a research study exploring the views of 27 children and young people on their involvement in a child protection investigation. Their perspectives on the personal and professional qualities of the professionals involved and on the choice, influence and representation they experienced and prefer are discussed. One of the most striking findings is that most of the children and young people had experienced a positive relationship with a social worker. Overall, many reported improvements at home, at school and in their health and behaviour. Their responses to different aspects of the intervention are discussed within the context of their rights to participation, choice and representation. It is acknowledged that children lack agency in promoting these rights in child protection work and concluded that these are best promoted through the development and maintenance of a relationship of trust, offered by a key professional in their network. Drawing upon Heard & Lake's (1997) work on attachment theory, it is suggested, further, that relationships and processes which embody supportive and companionable interactions are more likely to offer opportunities for representation and participation than those which are dominant and submissive. Finally, it is argued that children's services should be based on a human rights perspective, the discourse of which has more in common with the values of respect and honesty than with cost effectiveness and business management.

Children and Parent Participation in Child Protection Conferences: A Study in One English Local Authority

“…Social workers should share information with children and young people and provide support for them to understand assessments and reports (Bell, 2002;Cleaver et al, 2004). This should be done in an accessible way to enable children to understand what is going on in their lives; yet the 2 reports shared in this study were by a teacher and a parent.…”

“…However, maltreated children who are not involved may be left with feelings of powerlessness (Bell, 2002). Direct research with children carried out by Milner and Carolin (1999) showed that children and young people felt that they were not important and social workers did not listen to them.…”

‘You've got to trust her and she's got to trust you’: children's views on participation in the child protection system

“…Participation can be protective for vulnerable children, leading to increased confidence, self-efficacy and self-worth (Limber & Kaufman 2002;Schofield 2005). Not involving maltreated children may compound or reactivate feelings of powerlessness (Bell 2002). Maltreatment can be seen as a violation of a child's human rights.…”

Working with Children with Learning Disabilities and/or who Communicate Non‐verbally: Research Experiences and their Implications for Social Work Education, Increased Participation and Social Inclusion

“…So preparing a child for and facilitating their appropriate involvement involves explaining the process and exploring the choices and boundaries of decision-making as well as enabling them to decide what, for them, is the best means of participating, be it being present in a meeting, in writing or through the use of an advocate (Bell, 2002). Some children will need help in devising symbolic means of communicating their wishes.…”