Voice of the child – raising the volume of the voices of children and young people in care:
A special edition of Child Care in Practice on “Raising the Voice of Children and Young People in Care”. This special edition is being guest edited by Mr. Jason Caldwell, Principal Social Work Practitioner, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland; Ms. Vivian McConvey, Chief Executive, Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC), Northern Ireland and Dr. Mary Collins, Professor in Social Welfare Policy, Boston University School of Social Work, USA.
Recorded on 3rd of October 2019
Contributors
Author: Jason Caldwell, Vivian McConvey & Mary Collins
Publisher: Child Care in Practice, 25:1, 1-5
Date: 2019
Geographic Coverage: UK & Ireland
Type of Resource: Report
Sector/setting: Government
Vulnerable groups: Children, Young People
Developed with children and young people? No
Type of participation: N/A
Availability: Open Access
Keywords: User Participation, Child Protection, Child Welfare
Introduction
Almost 30 years have now passed since the world’s first declaration on children’s rights was introduced; this special edition has set out with the aim of seeking to not only showcase practice and research that demonstrates how the voice of children and young people is heard; we also wanted to share some of the innovative practice that is empowering children and young people to take ownership of the decisions affecting their lives in the true spirit of the UNCRC and similar rights-based standards.
However, international literature where the participation of children and young people in care and child protection systems has been explored has consistently evidenced two key issues, firstly that children and young people do not feel heard or understood and secondly, that professionals lack the skills and sufficient time to ascertain the wishes and feelings of children and young people.