Social Work and Children’s Rights: A Theoretical and Ethical View

Abstract

We now review the history of social work with children, particularly its strong involvement with families and children. There are three approaches to the practice of social work with children: protection and provision, “every child matters” and children as autonomous persons. We show that the status of children in social work and society has been narrowly focused for many years and that the children’s rights perspective has, until recently, been overlooked. The second section of the chapter is devoted to social work and the child’s right to participation and autonomy. We discuss why the social work profession should be involved in children’s rights practice, particularly in children’s rights to participation. At the end of the chapter is an exercise box to help elaborate the connection of social work with the children’s rights agenda.