Conversations between child and family professionals and children: what shapes the adult’s ability to hear children’s perspectives?
| Date | 22 August 2024 |
| Pages | 253-267 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCS-11-2023-0054 |
| Published date | 22 August 2024 |
| Author | Marilyn Casley |
Conversations between child and
family professionals and children: what
shapes the adult’s ability to hear
children’s perspectives?
Marilyn Casley
Abstract
Purpose –Many professionals who work with children champion the concept of child participation.
However, professionals’ attempts at listening to children to understand their perspectives and include
them in decision-makingare often difficult or missing. Thispaper aims to report on a study that examined
the lived experiences of child and family professionals and children, aged five to nine years, to
understand what happens in their everyday conversations and interactions and what is needed to
prepare pre-serviceprofessionals to uphold children’s right to have their views heard and consideredin
decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach –NarrativeInquiry was used as the methodology for this study as it is a
useful research methodology for developing interventions for practice. Narrative Inquiry methodology
allows the researcherto learn from their participants, and to validate them as knowledgeablein their own
lives andas contributors to change.
Findings –The findings indicatedthat everyday conversations and interactionsthat take place between
professionals and children influence an adult’s ability to hear a child’s perspective. The key findings
indicate that for adultsto hear a child’s perspective and include them in decision-making,there is a need
to build trustand acknowledge how power playsa role in having meaningful conversationswith children.
Originality/value –To better prepare the child and familypractice workforce, they will need theoretical
knowledge and practice skills in developing self-awareness about how children are viewed, building
reciprocalrelationships with children and creatingsafe spaces for conversationsto take place.
Keywords Child participation, Child–adult conversations, Children, Child and family professionals,
Workforce preparation, Narrative Inquiry
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The child’s rights agenda proposed in response to the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child United Nations (1989) has influenced governments to consider the voice of childrenin
decision-making, where children are seen as citizens and have a right to be heard. This
article proposes that to move this agenda forward there is still a need for developing
knowledge and practice skills for child-facing professionals on how to engage effectively
with children and to do so in a manner that brings aboutchange.
Specifically, citizen rationale states that citizenship in its legal formation is fundamental
expression of membership and is based on the relationship between an individual and the
state (Rubenstein and Field, 2013;Wyness, 2018). Assumptions made about children’s
capacity for participation are often seen as incompatible with this citizenship rationale and
Marilyn Casley is based at
the School of Health
Sciences and Social Work,
Griffith University,
Gold Coast, Australia.
Received 9 November 2023
Revised 20 June 2024
Accepted 5 August 2024
DOI 10.1108/JCS-11-2023-0054 VOL. 19 NO. 4 2024, pp. 253-267, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-6660 jJOURNAL OF CHILDREN’S SERVICES jPAGE 253
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