Peer-reviewed article
‘Wishes and feelings’: Misunderstandings and missed opportunities for participation in child protection proceedings
Jo Dillon ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how children's 'wishes and feelings' are gathered in UK child protection proceedings, as required by law. Researchers interviewed social workers, parents, children and participation workers across three local authorities and found significant gaps in how this requirement is implemented. Children often miss opportunities to participate meaningfully in decisions about social work intervention. The inconsistent application of this legal requirement leads to variable practice and can prevent children from understanding what is happening to them.
Key points
- No statutory social work guidance exists on how to gather and act on children's wishes and feelings in child protection proceedings
- Children frequently miss opportunities to be involved in their own child protection planning
- The legal requirement is often inadequately applied in practice, creating gaps in service provision
- Inconsistent implementation leads to idiosyncratic practice across different settings
- Children's understanding of social work intervention is compromised by poor participation processes
Limitations
This is a descriptive study of current practice gaps rather than an evaluation of an intervention. It does not measure outcomes for children or test solutions to improve participation.
Abstract
Abstract The gathering of ‘wishes and feelings’ in UK child protection proceedings (s.53 Children Act 2004) should highlight the child's opinion of social work intervention and services provided. However, with no statutory social work guidance on participation currently in place, children frequently miss opportunities to be involved in their own child protection planning. This paper is drawn from a 3‐year study into participation in child protection social work. It includes findings from qualitative interviews, and one focus group, with social workers, parents, children and participation workers, from three local authorities in the United Kingdom. The findings revealed some examples of significant gaps in service provision, particularly from the perspective and understanding of the child. The skewed translation of wishes and feelings legislation, along with its subsequent (and often inadequate) application to practice, prevents children from understanding and responding to social work intervention and can lead to idiosyncratic practice. This paper provides recommendations for a practical response to practitioner dilemmas regarding wishes and feelings and bridges the gap between research and practice.