Exploring child participation in protecting them from maltreatment: Lithuanian insights

• Published in: Children and youth services review 2023-09, Vol.152, p.107080, Article 107080
• Main Authors: Kirka, Vytautas, Tamutienė, Ilona
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child; Child welfare policy; Maltreatment; Meaningful participation; Protection
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107080

•Meaningful child participation in protection proved to be lacking in Lithuania.•Specialists are to build trust-based relationships where a child’s voice is heard.•Maltreated children’s protection is inseparable from their meaningful participation.•Facilitating a child's participation is crucial for successful protection. The aim of this study was to investigate children's involvement in their protection process from their maltreatment by revealing children’s experiences that reshaped the entire children’s protection process in Lithuania. The presented study is based on the data collected through 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted with children. The study discloses the children’s experience which proves that a brief interview with a child protection specialist (CPS) fails to build trust and openness as the communication is overly superficial and is solely based on asking formal questions. All of the children in the study claimed that in different stages of their protection from maltreatment, they went through strong negative feelings and emotions, all of which can be attributed to their traumatic experience. The CPS's failure to provide the majority of the children with the information, appropriate explanations and support as well as ensure their participation turned out to be evident in the majority of the children's experiences. The children’s participation issues identified and children’s experiences shared in this study have helped to define the priorities of the aspects that need to be addressed so that a child would be appropriately involved in the decisions made about his/her life, and children’s protection and welfare would be more efficiently ensured. The study's findings can be used by CPS and other experts in the area to improve the way that children are involved in making decisions that will influence their life.