Abstract
Child participation in child protection assessments (CPAs) and practices is complex. There has been growing international interest and debate concerning child participation in child protective services (CPS), with an emphasis on the importance of children’s rights. Despite the acknowledgment of children’s rights and general support for their inclusion in CPS proceedings, child participation remains rare in practice. This chapter explores the obstacles encountered by child protection workers regarding child participation in CPAs. Children’s rights and participation in child protection practices are first discussed in an international context. Using Estonia as a case example, the methods used by child protection workers to engage children’s participation in CPS are quantitatively and qualitatively explored. Finally, the implications of child participation for CPS practices are outlined to enhance the implementation, enforcement, and safeguarding of the rights of vulnerable children.
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This chapter was written with the support of the Estonian Research Council (Grant No. PSG305).
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Toros, K., Falch-Eriksen, A., Wu, J. (2021). Listening to Children’s Voices in Child Protection Practices. In: Baikady, R., Sajid, S., Przeperski, J., Nadesan, V., Rezaul, I., Gao, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68127-2_31-1
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