Young persons as epistemological agents in social work assessment and intervention

• Published in: Children and youth services review 2018-05, Vol.88, p.88-95
• Main Authors: Goh, Esther C.L., Baruch, Herzl
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agents; Case studies; Children; Epistemology; Intervention; Knowledge; Knowledge sharing; Knowledgeable agent; Mothers; Professional knowledge; Prostitution; Rights; Risk assessment; Sex workers; Social participation; Social work; Social workers; Soliciting; Working mothers; Young adults; Young persons
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.02.027

Literature debates whether young persons' participation in social work decisions is tokenistic in nature or it empowers them to shape their world. By and large, young persons deemed at risk remain the targets of intervention. This paper aims to underscore the need to move beyond soliciting young persons' voice merely in order to corroborate information provided by adults and professionals in social work assessment and intervention. Instead, it explicates the philosophical foundation for social workers to treat young persons as knowledgeable agents capable of contributing to professional knowledge. Through reinterpretation of a published case study on children of sex worker mothers in India, this paper highlights how young persons are active agents of their own lives even in extreme dire situations. These children of sex worker mothers were capable of advocating for their own rights as well as that of their mothers. Through the secondary analysis of data, we illustrated the dynamic process of knowledge construction by young persons. By paying attention to the young persons' capacity as knowledgeable agents we propose social workers to intentionally incorporate their knowledge in their practice. •This paper aims to underscore the need to move beyond soliciting young persons' voice merely in order to corroborate information provided by adults and professionals in social work assessment and intervention.•Instead, it explicates the philosophical foundation for social workers to treat young persons as knowledgeable agents capable of contributing to professional knowledge.•Through reinterpretation of a published case study on children of sex worker mothers in India, this paper highlights how young persons are active agents of their own lives even in extreme dire situations.•These children of sex worker mothers were capable of advocating for their own rights as well as that of their mothers.•Through the secondary analysis of data, we illustrated the dynamic process of knowledge construction by young persons.•By paying attention to the young persons' capacity as knowledgeable agents we propose social workers to intentionally incorporate their knowledge in their practice.