Methods of Transformative Participation in International Child Protection Contexts

This presentation weaves together the findings of an edited book entitled Children and Young People’s Participation in Child Protection: International Research and Practical Applications, published with Oxford University Press in 2023. The book’s objective is to inspire children, children’s rights activists, child protection, students, scholars, practitioners, and public policymakers by showcasing a variety of concrete examples of children’s participation that can be transformative for children. Transformative participation refers to children’s chances to make meaningful choices, develop a sense of agency, possess the resources to exercise agency, and achieve their life choices (Shier, 2001; Kabeer, 2005). The book describes how children act as social change agents in social work education, research, and development. It analyzes how social work professionals promote children’s participation in Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East.
In this presentation, we analyze the main takeaways from this project based on a thematic analysis of the chapters: first, we discuss the contexts in which children’s transformative participation can flourish. Second, we present different approaches to children’s involvement in child-led change and professional social work practice. Third, we describe the outcomes of children’s participation on children, social work education and practice, policy formation, and children’s collective action against violence towards children.
First, we show that the resources facilitating children’s participation consist of facilitatory and transformative legal, policy, and practice contexts and emotional, financial, time, and logistical supports, such as capacity-building of children and adults. Second, children’s involvement in systemic change varies. It includes children who are “experts of experience” participating in educating social work professionals in Norway. It also encompasses experts of experience evaluating and developing a new social work practice approach with children in Denmark, care leavers shaping child protection law and policy in Israel, and children taking collective action to promote and defend children’s rights in their communities in the coffee-growing region in Nicaragua.
Transformative participatory professional practices are characterized by caring, consistent, and respectful professional attitudes, relationships, and practice approaches that allow all children to participate regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, gender identity, migrant background, sexuality, etc. As the chapters on Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States show, participatory attitudes towards children are nurturing and free of biases, labeling, and stigmatizing children. Creative practice methods that combine playful visual and non-verbal modes with verbal modes of expression, such as the creation of images and life storybooks, encourage children’s involvement. Third, social change led by children can be transformative for children and lead to change in social work training, practice, and community and societal change.

References:
Kabeer, N. G. (2005). A critical analysis of the third Millennium Development Goal. Gender & Development, 13(1), 13-24.
Shier, H. (2001). Pathways to participation: Openings, opportunities and obligations. Children & Society, 15(2), 107-117.