| dc.description.abstract | Children's right to participation is a central theme in child welfare work. Participation means that the child is given the opportunity to be heard and have their opinion considered in matters concerning them. The purpose of this thesis is to shed light on how the child's right to participation manifests in child welfare. The method chosen to address the assignment is literature analysis. Three scientific articles have been selected to illuminate the issue. The findings from the selected studies point to three main themes regarding children's right to participation: "the view of children", "children's opportunity to participate" and "how children's participation is emphasized". The findings indicate that children are often seen as vulnerable and immature, and a general view of children is more frequently adopted rather than considering the child's perspective. The child's opportunity to participate seems to be influenced by the adult's view of the child. Children's participation should also be weighed according to age and maturity, but in practice there appears to be a bigger focus on the child's age rather than maturity. Therefore, the child's right to participation may seem to have a structural approach rather than a being based on good judgment, and there may be a need for more competence development among the relevant actors. | |
