Dear Mary-Clare,

as part of a knowledge exchange project I'm working on, I've produced a 
review of the research literature on children's participation in social 
work decision-making, including children's hearings.

The review has been written for practitioners so it is very much aimed 
at identifying good practice. It covers children's hearings, though the 
overall scope of the document is wider. It is available online:

http://www.socialwork.ed.ac.uk/esla/resources/publications

This was just one part of our project, so the review isn't exhaustive. 
However, there is quite a lot of research in this area now, and my 
impression is that the same key themes about what helps children to 
participate come up again and again.

Based on the research, and with the important caveat that I don't have 
experience as a practitioner in this area, my own advice on good 
practice would be:

- If possible, involve someone who already has an established, trusting 
relationship with the child in question. If not, then building such a 
relationship will be vital. Relationships seem to be essential, as 
opposed to just having the 'right' consultation techniques.

- Provide clear, simple and accessible information to children about 
their rights and about the process of the Children’s Hearing. This 
should cover basic details such as the length and format of the hearing, 
who will be there, what will be discussed, and the possible 
consequences. It seems that too much information can be as bad as too 
little. Young people generally don't want to know very detailed info 
about social workers views, parents' histories etc etc, it can seem 
irrelevant.

- Provide active support for participation, such as via independent 
advocacy or legal representation. Again the relationship is crucial - 
e.g. with legal representation it seems to work best when there has been 
contact and interaction prior to the hearing.

- Don't forget about the parents. They also have the right to have their 
views taken into account in decision-making.

But maybe you already do all of this!

If you do find the literature review useful and end up using it or 
circulating it in some way, it would be great if you could drop me a 
line to let me know.

Best wishes,

Michael

-- 
Dr. Michael Gallagher
Research Fellow
CRFR
University of Edinburgh
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Edinburgh
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and

Institute of Geography
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Engaging with Involuntary Service Users in Social Work website:
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