Organizational factors and child participation in decision-making: differences between two child welfare organizations

This article explores child welfare workers’ experiences of children’s participation in decision making in the child protection system. The systematic review follows the principles of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and includes 12 peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals from 2009 to 2019. Findings indicate that children’s participation in decision making is generally limited or nonexistent. The age of the child is an important determining factor concerning whether the child is given the opportunity to participate in decision making. Potential harm for children that may result from participation is considered when deciding on whether to include a child in the decision-making process.

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Exploring Alternate Explanations for Agency-Level Effects in Placement Decisions Regarding Aboriginal Children

Decision-Making and Judgment in Child Welfare and Protection ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190059538.003.0010 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 215-234

Author(s):

Barbara A. Fallon ◽

John D. Fluke ◽

Martin Chabot ◽

Cindy Blackstock ◽

Vandna Sinha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Child Welfare ◽

First Nations ◽

Organizational Factors ◽

Child Welfare System ◽

Welfare System ◽

Provincial Government ◽

Organizational Level ◽

Placement Decisions ◽

Aboriginal Children

This chapter summarizes a series of published papers that used data from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) to explore the influence of case and organizational characteristics on decisions to place Aboriginal children in out-of-home placements. The premise of the analyses was that these influences were consistent with the framework of the Decision-Making Ecology. In Canada, Aboriginal children are overrepresented at all points of child welfare decision-making: investigation, substantiation, and placement in out-of-home care. Case factors accounting for the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children at all service points in the child welfare system include poverty, poor housing, and substance misuse, and these factors, when coupled with inequitable resources for First Nations children residing on reserves, result in the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in the Canadian child welfare system. For this study, the authors examine case characteristics and organizational factors in a multilevel context, hypothesizing that children are more likely to be placed out of home in agencies that serve a relatively high proportion of Aboriginal children. According to the statistical models presented, the most important of these factors is whether the provincial government operates the child welfare agency. As with the proportion of Aboriginal children on the caseload, the risk of a child being placed is greater in government-run agencies compared to agencies operated by private funders. Further analysis needs to be conducted to fully understand individual- and organizational-level variables that may influence /decisions regarding placement of Aboriginal children.

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Child Participation in Estonian and Finnish Child Welfare Removals – Professionals’ Perceptions and Practices

The International Journal of Children s Rights ◽

10.1163/15718182-29030009 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 701-730

Author(s):

Virve Toivonen ◽

Jatta Muhonen ◽

Laura Kalliomaa-Puha ◽

Katre Luhamaa ◽

Judit Strömpl

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Child Welfare ◽

Children's Rights ◽

Legal Regulation ◽

Children’S Rights ◽

Best Interest ◽

Child Participation ◽

Child Welfare Professionals ◽

Rights Of The Child ◽

Participation Rights

Abstract A child’s right to participate is one of the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (crc). It is an integral part of a child’s right to have his/her best interest taken into account as a primary consideration. Therefore, it is indispensable in the decision-making connected with child welfare removals, the effects of which on the child’s life are long lasting and profound. In this article we examine the perceptions and practices of child-welfare professionals in the context of children’s rights, especially participation rights, in two neighbouring countries: Finland and Estonia. The findings are based on a survey and suggest that in the context of children’s rights, legislation also has its role in making children’s rights a reality, both as a prerequisite for reform as well as in shaping attitudes. However, legal regulation is not enough – full realisation also reguires more information, education and resources.

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The child and the protection of his rights in the Romanian legal system

Problemy Opiekuńczo-Wychowawcze ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0014.5970 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 595 (10) ◽

pp. 15-27

Author(s):

Emilia Palankiewicz-Mitrut

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

International Law ◽

Child Protection ◽

Policy Development ◽

National Agency ◽

Child Participation ◽

Rights Of The Child ◽

Great Progress ◽

Protection Legislation ◽

Participation In Decision Making

The aim of the article is to present the circumstances of the establishment of the National Agency for Child Protection and Adoption (Autoritatea Nationala Pentru Protectia Copilului Si Adoptie) and the Deputy Ombudsman dealing with children's matters (Avocatul Copilului, an agency that was established by the Act of January 2018 and is the equivalent of the Ombudsman for Children) as well as to refer to the acts specifying the competences and scope of activity of both institutions. The article analyses legal acts (documents of international law and provisions of national law) and reports sent by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to the Romanian side, which contributed to the establishment of institutions dealing with children's matters in Romania. The conclusions of the review of the child protection legislation in Romania show that the country has made great progress in the care of children and the respect for their rights in recent years. Romania began to be perceived as a country that takes into account the needs of the youngest citizens, which is manifested not only by the establishment of the institution of the Ombudsman for Children or the National Agency for Child Protection and Adoption, but also by many other activities aimed at supporting children. These include the international conference "Child Participation in Decision-Making and Policy Development at EU Level" organized in Bucharest in May 2019, during which the Bucharest a Declaration on Child Participation in Decision-Making at National and EU Levels was adopted.

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Comparative Perception Among Minority Communities on the Knowledge of UN Convention of the Rights of Child, Institutional Responsibilities and Child Participation in Decision Making Processes

European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies ◽

10.26417/ejms.v1i1.p185-200 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 185

Author(s):

Nehare Zeqiraj

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Child Protection ◽

Minority Communities ◽

Child Participation ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Participation In Decision Making ◽

Comparative Perception ◽

Children Rights

The survey document is mandated to address two issues in Republic of Kosova as following: I. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of children and communities in relation to children rights and child protection in 5 Kosovo regions: Peja Gjakova, Ferizaj, Prizren and Fushe Kosovo II. Evaluation of the communities knowledge on existing services in case of violations of the children rights in 5 Kosovo regions: Peja Gjakova, Ferizaj, Prizren and Fushe Kosovo

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