Research and guidance on embedding participation in child protection
Published:
Dr. Jo Dillon reflects on Rod Kippen’s guidance on direct work with children and young people and how we can involve them effectively in decision-making.
Talking points
This video looks at:
- Avoiding template-based social care.
- Making use of objects, places and memories when working with children and young people.
- Why a child should be able to ask us the same questions that we ask them.
- Findings from research around what effective participation looks like.
Related resources
- Enabling and embedding creative participation in child and family social work: Practice Tool
- Ensuring children's life stories are at the centre of direct work
- Meaningful participation - how can we involve children, young people and adults in shaping practice, support and services?
- Voice of the child: Evidence Review
- Young person-centred approaches in CSE - promoting participation and building self-efficacy: Frontline Briefing
- Young person-centred approaches in CSE - promoting participation and building self-efficacy: Frontline Tool
Research that is cited in this video
- Dillon, J., Greenop, D. and Hills, M. (2016) Participation in child protection: A small-scale qualitative study. Qualitative Social Work, 15 (1), 70-85.
- Dillon, J. (2019) 'Revolutionising' Participation in Child Protection Proceedings. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.
- Woolfson, R.C., Heffeman, E., Paul, M. and Brown, M. (2010) Young People's Views of the Child Protection System in Scotland. Oxford University Press: 2069.
- Kriz, K. and Roundtree-Swain, D. (2017) “We are merchandise on a conveyer belt”: How young adults in the public child protection system perceive their participation in decisions about their care. Children and Youth Services Review: Volume 78, July 2017, Pages 32-40.
- Sanders, R. and Mace, S. (2006) Agency policy and the participation of children and young people in the child protection process. Child Abuse Review, 15 (2), 89-109.
- Bruce, M. (2014) The Voice of the Child in Child Protection: Whose Voice? Social Sciences. 3. 10.3390/socsci3030514.
- Alfandari, R. (2015) Evaluation of a national reform in the israeli child protection practice designed to improve children's participation in decision making. Child & Family Social Work, 1-9.
- Cashmore, J. (2002) Promoting the participation of children and young people in care. Child Abuse and Neglect 26, 837-847.
- Winter, K. (2010) The perspectives of young children in care about their circumstances and implications for social work practice. Child & Family Social Work, 15 (2), 186-195.
- Pölkki, P., Vornanen, R., Pursiainen, M. and Riikonen, M. (2012) Children's Participation in Child protection Processes as Experienced by Foster Children and Social Workers. Child Care in Practice, 18 (2), 107-125.
- Cossar, J., Brandon, M. and Jordan, P. (2016) ‘You've got to trust her and she's got to trust you’: children's views on participation in the child protection system. Child & Family Social Work, 21 (1), 103-112.
Reflective questions
Here are reflective questions to stimulate conversation and support practice.
- What can you do to ensure that children and young people are able to feed into decision making around child protection?
- How might you address the imbalance of power between yourself and the child or young person that you are supporting?
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Relationships and effective direct work | Communication | Child and family assessment | Promote and govern excellent practice | Purposeful and effective social work
PCF - Professionalism | Intervention and skills
The legal basis for participation in child protection
Dr. Jo Dillon of the University of Sheffield shares the legal basis for ensuring that children can actively take part in decision-making processes that affect their safety and security.
What statutory guidance tells us about effective participation of children and young people
Dr. Jo Dillon reflects on the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance and the steer it gives us on involving children and young people in decision making.
Supporting effective participation with children and young people
All children should participate in issues that affect them and have their welfare promoted. New Research in Practice resources support effective participation with children and young people.