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“We are merchandise on a conveyer belt”: How young adults in the public child protection system perceive their participation in decisions about their care

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  • Križ, Katrin
  • Roundtree-Swain, Dakota

Abstract

The aim of this study is to show young people's feelings about their experiences with participation in decision-making in public care. The study is based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with eight young adults in the public child protection system in a northeastern state in the U.S. conducted between 2015 and 2016. All study participants had made both positive and negative experiences with participation. Most reported negative experiences at the point of their first entry into care, and most reported positive experiences when signing themselves back into the care of the child protection system when they turned 18. Further, we found barriers and pathways to participation at the individual child's or youth's level, including a child's or youth's ability to self-advocate, access to information, and age. Organizational-level factors that affected a child or young person's participation included the child protection agency's view of the child or youth; the agency's view of the parents; the quality of legal representation, and the type of rapport between social workers and children or young people in care. We discuss the implications of these findings on theory and policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Križ, Katrin & Roundtree-Swain, Dakota, 2017. "“We are merchandise on a conveyer belt”: How young adults in the public child protection system perceive their participation in decisions about their care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 32-40.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:78:y:2017:i:c:p:32-40
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.05.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vis, Svein Arild & Fossum, Sturla, 2013. "Representation of children's views in court hearings about custody and parental visitations — A comparison between what children wanted and what the courts ruled," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 2101-2109.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lätsch, David & Quehenberger, Julia & Portmann, Rahel & Jud, Andreas, 2023. "Children’s participation in the child protection system: Are young people from poor families less likely to be heard?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    2. Berit Skauge & Anita Skårstad Storhaug & Edgar Marthinsen, 2021. "The What, Why and How of Child Participation—A Review of the Conceptualization of “Child Participation” in Child Welfare," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Pridmore, William & Levy, Michael H. & McArthur, Morag, 2017. "Slipping through the cracks: Examining the realities of a child-friendly prison system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 226-231.
    4. Ehlke, Carolin & Schröer, Wolfgang, 2023. "Fluid transitions – “weak” constellations of participation in the process of leaving care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    5. Gabriel, Thomas, 2023. "The child – Object or subject of child care?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    6. Gazit, Matan & Perry-Hazan, Lotem, 2020. "Disadvantaged youth’s participation in collective decision making," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    7. Paulo Delgado & João M. S. Carvalho & Sílvia Alves, 2023. "Children and Young People’s Participation in decision-making in Foster Care," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(1), pages 421-445, February.
    8. Cudjoe, Ebenezer & Uggerhøj, Lars & Abdullah, Alhassan, 2020. "“We are consultants, not collaborators”: Young people’s experiences with child protection meetings in Ghana," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    9. Floor Middel & Wendy Post & Mónica López López & Hans Grietens, 2021. "Participation of Children Involved in the Child Protection System – Validation of the Meaningful Participation Assessment Tool (MPAT)," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(2), pages 713-735, April.
    10. Miller, J. Jay & Duron, Jacquelynn F. & Donohue-Dioh, Jessica & Geiger, Jennifer M., 2018. "Conceptualizing effective legal representation for Foster youth: A group concept mapping study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 271-278.

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