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Abstract
One of the most frequently cited principles in the 1989 United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is Article 12. This
article provides a critical analysis of the challenges that child
protection social work faces when implementing Article 12 in
social work decision-making whilst simultaneously keeping
children safe. The article begins with an outline of the general
reasons for involving children in decisions that affect them but
argues that despite being beneficial, implementing Article 12 has
proved to be problematic due to theoretical, practical and ethical
challenges within social work which will be examined. The article
continues by arguing that it is possible to overcome these
obstacles using Lundy’s model of conceptualising Article 12 as a
real-world tool that offers practical solutions to help social work/
workers overcome rather than avoid the identified challenges. It is
intended that these suggestions will help empower social work/
workers to discharge their legal obligation to enable children to
be heard in decisions that affect them. The article concludes by
arguing for a more empowering approach to children’s
involvement in social work decision-making with some reflections
on the future of Article 12 within the social work paradigm.
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is Article 12. This
article provides a critical analysis of the challenges that child
protection social work faces when implementing Article 12 in
social work decision-making whilst simultaneously keeping
children safe. The article begins with an outline of the general
reasons for involving children in decisions that affect them but
argues that despite being beneficial, implementing Article 12 has
proved to be problematic due to theoretical, practical and ethical
challenges within social work which will be examined. The article
continues by arguing that it is possible to overcome these
obstacles using Lundy’s model of conceptualising Article 12 as a
real-world tool that offers practical solutions to help social work/
workers overcome rather than avoid the identified challenges. It is
intended that these suggestions will help empower social work/
workers to discharge their legal obligation to enable children to
be heard in decisions that affect them. The article concludes by
arguing for a more empowering approach to children’s
involvement in social work decision-making with some reflections
on the future of Article 12 within the social work paradigm.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 327-341 |
| Journal | Child Care in Practice |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 27 Jan 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 2 Oct 2017 |
Keywords
- Child’s rights
- participation
- decision-making
- child protection
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Implementing Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Child Protection Decision-Making: a Critical Analysis of the Challenges and Opportunities for Social Work'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Research output
- 33 Citations - Sourced from Scopus
- 1 Other contribution
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Implementing Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Child Protection Decision-Making: A Critical Analysis of the Challenges and Opportunities for Social Work (Abridged): Child and Family Law Update
Mc Cafferty, P., Apr 2018, 5 p. Law Society of Northern Ireland.Research output: Other contribution › peer-review