1 / 15

Giving weight to children’s views

Giving weight to children’s views. Making a real difference to what happens Elizabeth Fern fernl@hope.ac.uk. Conceptualising childhood. “The level of [children’s] powerlessness varies according to how the adults in specific social settings conceptualize children and childhood”

marah-weiss
Download Presentation

Giving weight to children’s views

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Giving weight to children’s views Making a real difference to what happens Elizabeth Fernfernl@hope.ac.uk

  2. Conceptualising childhood • “The level of [children’s] powerlessness varies according to how the adults in specific social settings conceptualize children and childhood” (Mayall 1994:116) Elizabeth Fern

  3. Action research approach • A group of 10 young people, aged 13-17 years were engaged as consultants to the research • Conceptualisations of children and childhood of 15 practitioners ascertained through qualitative interviews • 12 of the original 15 practitioners worked on developing more child-directed practice (Fern and Kristinsdóttir 2011; Fern 2011) Elizabeth Fern

  4. Parents Child Others Teacher Social worker Problems Solutions Psychologist Mentor Key- worker Child-directed practice Elizabeth Fern

  5. Parents Social worker Others Others Teacher Child Key- worker Psychologist Mentor Child-centred practice Elizabeth Fern

  6. Parents Child Others Teacher Social worker Psychologist Mentor Key- worker Child-directed practice Elizabeth Fern

  7. Parents Child Others Teacher Social worker Problems Solutions Psychologist Mentor Key- worker Child-directed practice Elizabeth Fern

  8. Summary • Reviewed the participative methodology of the Icelandic study - action research with young people as consultants to the research • If professionals are to give due weight to, and act upon, children’s views then there must be a change in the power relations • Emphasised importance of child-directed practice (Fern, forthcoming) Elizabeth Fern

  9. International comparison • “… to realise that elsewhere things are done differently expands one’s confidence in the belief that ‘different’ things can be done” (Hetherington, Cooper, Smith and Wilford, 1997:124) Elizabeth Fern

  10. Learning from difference • Views of children secondary to consideration of adult views of best interests (Bilson and White, 2005) • Prejudicial assumptions stand in the way of hearing the child (Archard and Skivenes, 2009) • Lack of child perspective in decision-making processes but extensive family support in Norway (Kojan and Lonne, 2012) Elizabeth Fern

  11. Child’s view making a difference • “... there is not much evidence of the workers seeing the child’s views as making a real difference to what happens” when decisions are made about his or her future. (Archard and Skivenes, 2009: 397) Elizabeth Fern

  12. Issues identified • Attitudinal • supporting good practice and tackling barriers to achieving participation • Organisational • developing structures and systems which support without constraining good professional practice • User participation must include the power to effect change Vis and Thomas, 2009; Seim and Slettebø, 2011; Vis et al. 2012 Elizabeth Fern

  13. Further research - aims • Develop the role of children as consultants to research to include the power to effect change • Develop child-directed practice through action research Elizabeth Fern

  14. Acknowledgements • The young people and practitioners in Iceland for their contributions • Research consultant: Professor Guðrún Kristinsdóttir, University of Education, Iceland • Reykjavík Social Services • Supervisors: Chris Harrison and Eileen McLeod, University of Warwick, UK • University of Akureyri and National Research Fund Iceland • Liverpool Hope University Elizabeth Fern

  15. References • Archard, D. And Skivenes, M. 2009. Hearing the child. Child and Family Social Work, 14, pp 391-399. • Bilson, A. and White, S. 2005. Representing Children’s Views and Best Interests in Court: An International Comparison, Child Abuse Review, 14: 220-239. • Fern, E. 2012. Developing Social Work Practice Through Engaging Practitioners in Action Research Qualitative Social Work 11(2): 156-173. • Fern, E. and Kristinsdóttir, G. 2011. Young people act as consultants in child-directed research: an action research study in Iceland Child and Family Social Work 16 (3): 287-297 • Fern, E. Child-directed social work practice: findings from an action research study conducted in Iceland. British Journal of Social Work (forthcoming). • Hetherington, R. Andrew C. Smith, P. and Wilford, G. 1997. Protecting children: Messages from Europe. Lyme Regis, UK: Russel House. • Kojan, B.H. and Lonne, B. 2012. A comparison of systems and outcomes for safeguarding children in Australia and Norway , Child and Family Social Work, 17: 96-107. • Mayall, B., 1994. Children's Childhoods Observed and Experienced. London: Falmer Press. • Seim, S. and Slettebø, T. 2011. Collective participation in child protection services: partnership or tokenism? European Journal of Social Work 14(4): 497-512. • Vis, S. A. and Thomas, N. 2009. Beyond talking – children’s participation in Norwegian care and protection cases. European Journal of Social Work 12 (2): 155-168. •  Vis, S.A., Holtan, A. and Thomas, N. 2012. Obstacles for Child Participation in Care and Protection Cases — why Norwegian social workers find it difficult. Child Abuse Review 21: 7-23.

More Related