NCJ Number
187521
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 9 Issue: 6 Dated: November-December 2000 Pages: 403-415
Editor(s)
Margaret A. Lynch,
David Gough
Date Published
2000
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article examines how protection procedures and practices can promote the right of children to have their voices heard effectively within the child protection system in England and Wales.
Abstract
New domestic legal requirements in England and Wales concerning the extent and nature of the participation of young people in child protection decision-making processes are presented and analyzed. The status of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the effects of the Human Rights Act of 1998 for all agencies in England and Wales involved in child protection work are discussed. Provisions of the Human Rights Act are noted that are primarily based on the European Convention on Human Rights. Suggestions for regulating and monitoring policies and practices that can empower children to participate more fully in child protection processes that comply with the UNCRC and the Human Rights Act are presented. Following the discussion of the preceding areas, the author indicates that effective practices need to be developed to protect children's rights. He also concludes that child protection agencies and individual professionals need to be held accountable through regulation and guidance for ensuring that young people are respected and are heard in child protection processes. Finally, the author notes that health, social work, education, and police agencies should keep records to show how procedures have engaged young people and have made young people more fully informed about decisions affecting their lives. 25 references