Frontline Workers’ Challenges in Hearing Children’s Voices in Family Support Services

Abstract

Research into children’s voices continues to receive significant attention due to the limited progress made around the world in meeting Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: the right to be heard and participate in decision making. However, there is a paucity of research providing insights into children’s voices in family support services linked with the child protection system. This paper contributes new understandings into the everyday practice experiences of 46 frontline urban and regional practitioners working in family support services for UnitingCare, a nongovernment organisation in Queensland, Australia. Critical and interpretive research utilising WorldCafé focus groups reveals hearing children’s voices is not occurring as an everyday practice. It identified four intersecting influences that prevent rights-based children’s participation: program, conceptual, organisational, and direct practice issues. A sustained paradigm shift to protection with participation is needed to ensure children’s voices are included as an everyday practice in family support services. IMPLICATIONS Culture, program, organisation, and practice level challenges intersect to impede frontline family support services practitioners from hearing children’s voices as an everyday practice. A paradigm shift to “protection with participation”, a culture that values children and their voices, alongside steadfast leadership are needed to embed a rights-based, child-inclusive approach in family support services as part of the care continuum.