This book presents new research on how parents and children participate in decision making when childcare social workers (SWs) are involved. Two specific meetings where such decision making occurs – Child Protection Conferences and Child in Care reviews – are considered in depth.

A Child in Care (CiC) review is a key meeting that considers the care plan for a child or young person in care; the person in care should play a meaningful role in the decision making that takes place at the meeting. CiC reviews are held one month after a child comes into care or changes placement, at three months and then at six-monthly intervals. In the past, reviews were chaired by a team manager; however, since 2002 the role of Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) has been introduced to chair this meeting and provide independent oversight and scrutiny of the care plan.

A Child Protection Conference is a meeting to ‘review whether the child is continuing to suffer or is likely to suffer significant harm and review developmental progress against child protection plan outcomes’ (Working Together, DfE, 2018, p 46). When children are in care or subject to a Child Protection Plan, families are generally obliged to work with child and family SWs. It is therefore important to explore how this working relationship is experienced in practice and whether children, young people and their families feel they can contribute to decision-making processes relating to their lives.

Enabling SWs to work more effectively with families, and in particular ensuring children have a voice, is a subject which is currently attracting considerable attention. The child protection system, and more specifically the means by which children are safeguarded by SWs and other key professionals, is also of great interest to both the public and the media. As a former SW, it is my strong view that unless we listen to – and, wherever possible, act upon – the views of children and parents, it is very difficult to safeguard them, uphold and protect their rights, and offer them an effective service.

This subject area has been of interest to me since I attended my first CiC review as a student SW in 2005, and this initial interest continued to develop during my early years as a social work practitioner.