Challenges of participation in child welfare

ABSTRACT

The intention of this article is to discuss conditions for developing participatory relationships with children in child welfare services (CWS). In recent years, child protection and CWS have seen a growth of interest in children’s participation, but research shows that children often do not participate when their families are in contact with the CWS. Participatory practice tends to be more messy and complicated than the policy rhetoric suggests. Discussion about the reasons for lack of children’s participation has mostly been related to the social worker’s competence or willingness to involve children in participatory practice. In our research, we have found that social workers are interested in involving children in participation, but that they often meet with organisational structures and material design of offices that represent barriers to children’s participation, for example, to children’s access to information and help, and to the development of relationships with children over time. In this article, we will discuss how organisational structures and routines, and material design, present challenges for implementing participatory practices in child welfare, and what will create appropriate conditions for children’s participation.

SAMMENDRAG

Formålet med artikkelen er å drøfte betingelser for å utvikle deltakende relasjoner med barn i kontakt med barnevernet. I de senere årene har det vært økende interesse for barns medvirkning i barnevernet, men forskning viser at barna fortsatt ofte ikke deltar når familien er i kontakt med barnevernet. Barn og unges deltakelse synes å være mer uklar og komplisert enn det som kommer frem i den politiske retorikken. I diskusjonen om hvorfor barn ikke medvirker, pekes det på at sosialarbeidere ikke er motiverte til at barn skal medvirke, eller at de mangler kompetanse til å snakke med barn. I vår forskning har vi funnet at sosialarbeiderne er motiverte til å involvere barn i medvirkning og deltakende relasjoner, men at organisasjonsmessige strukturer eller den materielle utforming av barnevernskontoret ofte representerer hindringer for barns deltakelse; det gjelder for eksempel barn og unges tilgjengelighet til informasjon og hjelp, og deres mulighet til å utvikle relasjoner til sosialarbeideren over tid. I artikkelen diskuterer vi hvordan organisasjonsmessige strukturer og rutiner, samt materiell utforming representerer utfordringer for barns medvirkning i barnevernet, og hva som kan bidra til gode betingelser for deltakelse.

KEYWORDS:

• Child welfare
• children’s participation
• organisation
• socio-materiality

NØKKELORD:

• Barnevern
• barns medvirkning
• barns deltakelse
• organisasjon
• sosio-materialitet

Acknowledgements

The publication of this work was supported by Stiftelsen Wøyen.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Sissel Seim, PhD, is Associate Professor Emeritus at Oslo and Akershus University College, and visiting professor at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, previously Sogn and Fjordane University College. Her main area of research has been within social movements and collective action among marginal groups, and children’s participation in child welfare. She is editor-in-chief of Fontene Forskning, a Norwegian scientific journal for social work.

Tor Slettebø, Dr Polit, is Professor at VID Specialized University, previously Diakonia University College, in Oslo. His main area of research has been within child welfare services and practice research.