Reflective Essay on Enhansing Participation in Child Protection

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Critical evaluation of evidence and research findings in the area of Child Protection, in respect of enhancing the participation of children and young people in decision-making and developing care services In this essay, I will critically examine the practice of service user participation in the area of Child Protection. I will explore the legal framework, legislation and policies that govern social work practice both at national and local level, which include the Children Act 1989 and 2004, Every Child Matters agenda 2003 and the Human Rights Act. I will also apply social work theories, evidence from research findings and evidence from my own practice to explore the effectiveness of service user participation in developing social care services. To safeguard confidentiality, I will employ the Data Protection Act 1998 by referring to the child I worked with as J. TheFreeDictionary.com defines participation as the act of taking part or sharing in something. Participation therefore suggests some degree of involvement which may be of different levels. Arnstein (1969) highlights eight types of participation in A Ladder of Citizen Participation which is generally categorised by three rungs of ; Citizen Power whereby there is partnership working, power is delegated and people have control; Tokenism whereby people are consulted , informed and appeased; Nonparticipation whereby people are manipulated by being educated, advised , persuaded and then engaged in therapy groups. In this essay, the term participation is used in reference to the activities involved in engaging the children and young people and their families in the assessment process, from the point of initial contact to the point of making decisions on how best t meet the needs. Legislation and Policy Within the wider world, social work practice in relation to child participation is governed

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