Why having a voice is important to children who are involved in family support services

Children in out-of-home care's right to family and cultural connection: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australian children's perspectives

BACKGROUND

Children have a right to participate in decisions about their lives. They also have the right to family and cultural connection, including when they are removed due to child protection concerns. However, the literature highlights barriers children in out-of-home care experience connecting to family-of-origin and culture. Moreover, this literature is predominantly from the perspective of practitioners and carers, with children's perspectives notably absent.

OBJECTIVE

This qualitative study addresses this gap by exploring Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australian children's perspectives and experiences of family and cultural connection while in out-of-home care. It seeks to uphold children's right to express their views on matters that impact their lives.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The participants were 62 children aged 4-15 years (x̄=9 years), who were in out-of-home care in Queensland (Australia). Forty-two of the children were non-Indigenous and 20 identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children.

METHODS

Lundy's (2007) model of participation guided the data collection approach. Art-based graphic-elicitation interviews were conducted. Verbatim transcripts were analysed thematically.

RESULTS

Children had differing levels of understanding as to why they could not reside with their family. Most children referred to a family-of-origin member not living with them as important in their lives, but it was not always their parent/s. Siblings were mentioned frequently. Barriers to connections with family included distance and cost of travel, parents not attending visits and being uncontactable, incarcerated or deceased. Whilst most children desired increased connection with family, a few wished for reduction or cessation. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children showed varying levels of connection to culture with both siblings and carers playing key roles in enabling greater connection.

CONCLUSIONS

Graphic-elicitation interviews provided an important opportunity for children to voice their experiences of and preferences regarding family and cultural connection. The inclusion of children's voices is needed to inform responsive policies and practices that safely support their rights to family and culture when in out-of-home care.

"I got to say two or three lines"-A systematic review of children's participation in child protective services

BACKGROUND

Although children's right to participate in decisions that influence their lives is widely recognized, it is rarely present in the assessment and decision-making processes in child protective services (CPS).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review was to examine children's views and experiences of participating in CPS cases of child abuse and neglect and to identify the gap in scientific knowledge.

METHODS

The systematic review follows the PRISMA statement and includes 13 peer-reviewed articles published in several academic journals from 2016 to 2023 reporting primary research with abused and neglected children registered in CPS.

RESULTS

Thematic analysis identified five main themes: participation: assessment and decision-making, information and understanding, interaction and relationships, children vs parents, and experience of younger children. The findings show that although a few children reported instances of meaningful participation, overall, children's participation was often reduced to a tokenistic engagement, with limited influence on the decision-making processes. Children, especially younger children, receive insufficient information and struggle to understand the proceedings. Examples of prioritizing parents' views, needs, and rights rather than centering the children's perspectives are reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight a need for significant changes in how child participation is conceptualized and operationalized within CPS. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed to foster children's participation in CPS to contribute to the effective care and protection of children experiencing child abuse and neglect.

Can a Paradigm Shift from Risk Management to Critical Reflection Improve Child-Inclusive Practice?

Child protection systems within Anglophone countries have been increasingly dominated by neoliberal managerial, risk-dominant paradigms over the past three decades. Assumed to deliver a cost-effective strategy to increase the safety of children, there are many ways this paradigmatic combination systematically undermines child welfare, participation, and well-being. This paper specifically focuses on the ways that risk assessment, neoliberal, and managerial discourses have infiltrated practice and operate to silence and exclude children’s voices. It draws on two case studies to showcase key findings of a comprehensive, state-wide research project called Empowering Children’s Voices, which was initiated by UnitingCare, a non-government organisation within Queensland, Australia, and conducted in partnership with researchers from Queensland University of Technology. It will be argued that a paradigm shift towards a critically reflective reinterpretation of risk can be far more effective at promoting child-inclusive practice and establishing children’s empowered voices as a protective factor against harm.