Nurturing the virtuous circle: Looked After Children's participation in reviews, a cyclical and relational process

Abstract

Children's participation in decision making of all kinds is of increasing interest across the world as more and more countries seek to comply with Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The participation rights of children who are in the care of the state are of particular concern. Recent research in England suggests that Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) can play a crucial role in ensuring that looked after and accommodated children are able to participate in care planning and review processes. This paper outlines the findings of the first Scottish study to investigate the role of Reviewing Officers in encouraging children's participation in reviews. Surveys were collected from social workers, Reviewing Officers and young people after 69 review meetings as part of an action research study. Follow‐up qualitative interviews were then completed with 10 young people and a focus group held with the five participating Reviewing Officers. The findings suggest that participation in looked after reviews can best be understood as a cyclical and relational process and that taking part in action research may enhance participation practices. While the role of the Reviewing Officer was found to be important, the findings suggest that everyone involved in the care and support of the young person needs to encourage participation processes that are individualized.

Children’s Participation in Decision Making From Child Welfare Workers’ Perspectives: A Systematic Review

“…In one study, workers reported that children’s participation affected the outcome of decision making in half of the cases (Vis & Thomas, 2009). In another study, Roesch-Marsh et al (2017) found that over 50% of the workers surveyed felt that the young person’s participation had a good deal of impact on the decisions made in the meeting and 10% felt that the young person’s participation determined the decisions made in the review. Oppenheim-Weller et al (2017) reported a low agreement among participants that children’s opinions influenced the decisions.…”

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

“…You get to choose whoever’s there, like anyone you want to make you obviously feel like, more at ease because it’s your review.The option to bring a friend or close family member to such an important meeting seems likely to be particularly pertinent for a young person who lacks an established relationship with professionals. Likewise, since feeling comfortable and relaxed often stems from feeling in control, it is not surprising that those young people who chaired their own reviews, as well as those who set the agenda for the meeting, expressed more positive views about the review process (Roesch-Marsh, Gillies and Green, 2016; Thomas and O’Kane, 1999). Indeed, Thomas and O’Kane have developed tools for young people to use in deciding what items should be on the agenda (Thomas, et al., 1999).…”

Fostering global dialogue: Conceptualisations of children's rights to participation and protection

“…According to the UN, child participation involves ‘…ongoing processes, which include information‐sharing and dialogue between children and adults based on mutual respect, and in which children can learn how their views and those of adults are taken into account and shape the outcome of such processes’ (UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2009, p. 5). It is understood as a process in which children have influence on decision‐making (Ballesté & Moudelle, 2016; Cahill & Dadvand, 2018; Collins, 2017; Damiani‐Taraba et al., 2018; Gallego‐Henao, 2015; Roesch‐Marsh et al., 2017; Sæbjørnsen & Willumsen, 2017). Fundamentally, participation should be taken seriously, and empower children in decisions about their own lives, their family and their communities (KII academic, May; KII academic, June; KII consultant, June; KII NGO Advocate, July; KII researcher advocate, June).…”

“…Caputo, 2017; Seim & Slettebø, 2017) and must account for socio‐cultural (Cahill & Dadvand, 2018; Fylkesnes et al, 2018; Theis, 2007), political (Barilá & Amoroso, 2017) and economic contexts (Theis, 2007). The process generally involves preparation, review and action (Roesch‐Marsh et al., 2017); reciprocal sharing of information, respect and dialogue, and feedback to children (van Bijleveld et al, 2015; Tisdall, 2017). Bordenave (1994), a Paraguayan academic, defined participation as a collective experience learned through group praxis, whereby participation is learned while participating.…”