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Facilitating participation of children and young people in care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

Judy Cashmore
Affiliation:
Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales. Email: judycash@nsw.bigpond.net.au
Andrew O’Brien
Affiliation:
NSW Ombudsman’s Office

Abstract

A significant challenge for children and young people in care (and for the agencies which supervise their care) is to find ways to ‘have a say’ in the decisions which affect their lives. The aim of this paper is to bring together the results of several recent Australian studies which have explored the views of children and young people in care and to see how well they fit with the views of the adult professionals responsible for their care. This research makes it clear that the practice still lags some way behind the rhetoric and that many children and young people in care are not satisfied with their level of involvement. The main preconditions for facilitating effective participation by children and young people are outlined.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

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