Children’s Participation in Child Welfare: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews
Published July 2023
Contributors
Author: Paul McCafferty, Esther Mercado Garcia
Publisher: The British Journal of Social Work (Volume 54, Issue 3)
Date: 2023
Geographic Coverage: UK
Type of Resource: Academic Journal
Sector/setting: Child Welfare
Vulnerable groups: Children, Young People
Developed with children and young people? No
Type of participation: N/A
Availability: Open Access
Keywords: Child Participation, Child Welfare, Systematic Review, Social Work
Introduction
The objective of this research was to conduct a systematic review of systematic reviews related to Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as it relates to children and young people involved with child welfare agencies. This systematic review sought to comply with the guidance from the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis on umbrella reviews. Fourteen databases were searched using predefined terms. Six hundred seventy-four original hits were retrieved for title and abstract searching after independent searching by the authors. Of those, fourteen were included for full independent reads and all fourteen were selected after discussion. Each systematic review was appraised using an eleven-point quality checklist from JBI. A thematic review was conducted to ascertain the themes across all systematic reviews. Three themes emerged (i) children’s voice is not taken seriously; (ii) relationships are an important determining factor in (un)successful participation; and (iii) the context of participation is important. Our conclusion is that despite mandated UNCRC requirements to involve children and young people within the child protection system, the possibilities for children and young people to express their views remain restricted.