Category: children

PACE: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Supporting Children and Young People

Introduction to PACE

PACE is a therapeutic approach developed by Dr. Dan Hughes more than two decades ago, designed to help adults build safe, meaningful, and trusting relationships with children and young people who have experienced trauma. Rooted in attachment-focused family therapy, PACE encourages adults to think, feel, communicate, and behave in ways that help children feel secure. It is not a rigid, step-by-step procedure, but rather a flexible mindset that integrates four essential qualities: Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy.

Children who have lived through traumatic experiences often struggle with trust, connection, and emotional regulation. Their interactions with adults may be shaped by fear, defensiveness, or shame, making it difficult to form stable attachments. PACE aims to create an environment where these children feel safe enough to explore emotions, express themselves, and build resilience. By adopting PACE, adults can slow down their own responses, regulate their emotions, and remain engaged even during challenging moments. This emotional regulation is essential: when adults stay calm and supportive, children are more likely to mirror that stability, gradually learning to manage their own intense emotions.

Ultimately, PACE offers both children and adults a pathway toward understanding, connection, and healing. Instead of focusing primarily on correcting behaviours, it emphasises relationship-building and emotional safety. In this way, it equips caregivers, teachers, and social workers with strategies to guide children through difficult emotions and behaviours, without compromising their sense of self-worth.

Playfulness

Playfulness is the first element of PACE and serves as an important bridge to closeness without fear. Many children affected by trauma may withdraw from joyful experiences, having lost hope in the possibility of fun or shared enjoyment. For some, affection feels threatening, and hugs or overt displays of love may be rejected. A playful stance provides a gentler alternative, allowing warmth and closeness without overwhelming the child.

Playfulness reassures children that conflicts or separations in a relationship are temporary and not damaging to the connection. In tense situations, a light tone of voice, animated facial expressions, or humour can defuse defensiveness and create opportunities for reconnection. This is not about minimising serious misbehaviour but about keeping minor incidents in perspective. For instance, when a child resists transitioning between activities, introducing a playful game or role-play can reduce resistance and maintain cooperation.

Practical strategies for playfulness include storytelling tones rather than lecturing, softening facial expressions, lowering body posture to avoid intimidating presence, or transforming routine tasks into small games. These subtle adjustments communicate warmth and safety while maintaining the adult’s authority.

Importantly, playfulness is not about distracting from difficulties or denying a child’s struggles. Instead, it signals to the child that relationships can contain joy, even in the presence of challenges. For children who expect rejection or punishment, playfulness can be a powerful reassurance that their presence is valued. Over time, playful interactions rebuild a child’s belief in positive connection and create space for emotional growth.

Acceptance

Acceptance in PACE communicates to a child that their inner world—thoughts, feelings, and intentions—is safe from judgment. For many children, especially those shaped by trauma, the fear of being criticised or rejected for their feelings can prevent honest expression. Acceptance means separating the child’s identity and intentions from their behaviours. Adults can challenge unsafe behaviours while still affirming the child’s worth and humanity.

For example, when a child declares, “You hate me,” a typical adult instinct may be to deny or correct the statement. However, PACE encourages an accepting response such as, “I’m sorry it feels that way to you. That must be really painful.” This communicates understanding without dismissal, showing the child that their perspective matters, even if it is painful or inaccurate.

Through acceptance, children learn that conflict does not equal rejection. They discover that behaviours can be addressed and limited without threatening their relationship or self-worth. Adults may say, “I’m disappointed by what you did, but I know you were upset. It doesn’t change how much I care about you.” Such statements reinforce the difference between disapproving of behaviour and rejecting the child as a person.

This practice strengthens children’s confidence in relationships, making them more willing to share vulnerabilities. Acceptance fosters resilience by teaching children that they can be loved despite their mistakes, and that their feelings—whether anger, fear, or sadness—are valid and worthy of attention.

Examples or how to express acceptance:

“I can see how you feel this is unfair. You wanted to play longer”
“You probably think that I don’t care about what you want”
“You were letting me know that you were really scared when you ran
away from me”
“I can hear you saying that you hate me and you’re feeling really cross.
I’ll still be here for you after you calm down”.
“I’m disappointed by what you did, but I know you were really upset. It
doesn’t change how much I care about you”.

Curiosity

Curiosity is the element of PACE that invites children to explore and reflect on the reasons behind their behaviours. Many children, especially those living with trauma, may recognise that their actions are inappropriate but lack the words or awareness to explain why. Instead of asking “Why did you do that?” in a demanding or accusatory way, curiosity involves gentle wondering, aimed at understanding rather than interrogating.

For instance, rather than scolding a child for breaking a toy, an adult might say, “I’m wondering if you broke the toy because you were feeling angry.” Such open-ended reflections give children the opportunity to recognise and articulate their emotions without fear of judgment. The tone is vital: curiosity must be communicated lightly, with compassion rather than frustration.

Curiosity helps children distinguish between their behaviours and their identities. When adults show genuine interest in the underlying feelings—such as sadness, fear, or confusion—children begin to understand that their behaviours are expressions of unmet needs rather than evidence of being “bad.” This reduces shame and defensiveness, replacing them with healthier emotions such as guilt, which can motivate positive change.

Examples of curiosity include phrases like, “I wonder if…,” “Could it be…?,” or “Tell me if I’m getting this wrong.” These sentence starters signal openness and a desire to understand, not to correct. Over time, curiosity builds children’s capacity for self-reflection and strengthens trust in their caregivers.

Examples of curiosity:

“I’m wondering if you broke the toy because you were feeling angry.”
“I’m thinking you’re a little nervous about going back to school today,
and that’s why you don’t want to get ready this morning”.
“I’ve noticed that you’ve been using a really loud voice, and if you’re
trying to tell me that you’re angry with me.”
“I’m a little confused. Usually you love going for a walk, but today you
don’t want to go. I’m wondering what’s different about today”.
“When she couldn’t play with you today, I’m wondering if you thought
that meant she doesn’t like you.”

Empathy

Empathy is the heart of PACE, ensuring children feel that they do not face struggles alone. Empathy involves actively recognising and validating a child’s distress, demonstrating compassion and solidarity. For traumatised children, empathy communicates that their emotions are not too overwhelming or burdensome for the adult to handle.

Showing empathy requires both words and actions. Adults might say, “That must have been so painful,” or “You are really upset right now, and that’s so hard.” Such statements acknowledge the child’s feelings without minimising them. Non-verbal cues, such as calm body language, gentle tone, and attentive presence, reinforce the message.

Importantly, empathy is not about pity or indulgence. It is about recognising that behaviours often stem from deeper struggles and showing willingness to share in those struggles. By doing so, adults demonstrate resilience and commitment, reassuring the child that the relationship remains intact even during difficult moments.

For example, when a child lashes out after feeling excluded, empathy might sound like: “It hurt so much when she didn’t ask you to play. That must have felt confusing.” This helps the child name their emotions and feel understood. Over time, empathy helps children build trust in relationships, knowing that their vulnerabilities will be met with care rather than criticism.

Examples of empathy:
“You are SO upset about this right now. That must be really hard!”
“It hurt so much when she didn’t ask you to play. You were probably
thinking ‘Why did she do that?’ It was a real shock for you.”
“You wanted to have another turn so badly. You were so excited about it
and it’s so unfair that we ran out of time”.
“It seems to you like he hates you. That must be really hard. I know you
like him a lot, so this is pretty confusing”.
“I know it’s hard for you to hear what I’m saying.”
“Me saying ‘No’ has made you angry with me. I get why you don’t want
to talk to me right now”

PACE in Practice

While PACE is simple in principle, applying it consistently in real-life situations can be challenging. Adults often feel the urge to correct or discipline, especially when confronted with disrespect or aggression. Yet practice shows that PACE-oriented responses defuse conflict and build stronger relationships.

Take, for instance, Emily, who becomes angry when denied a turn on the swings, yelling “I hate you!” A typical response might involve correcting her rudeness. A PACE-ful approach, however, acknowledges her anger with playfulness and empathy: “Wow, you’re really angry! It feels rubbish when you can’t do what you want.” Such responses validate her feelings while keeping the relationship intact.

Similarly, when Tom swears at his dad after school, a typical response might be punishment. But with PACE, his dad could say, “I can see you’re really angry. I’m wondering if something happened at school.” This curiosity and empathy create space for Tom to share his feelings rather than escalating conflict.

These examples illustrate how PACE transforms discipline into connection. Instead of viewing behaviours as personal attacks or defiance, adults see them as expressions of inner struggles. By responding with playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy, adults guide children toward emotional regulation, resilience, and trust.

Example:
Emily asks Mum if she can play on the swings. Mum says she can’t as they need to be home soon. Emily gets very upset and angry and starts yelling “that’s so unfair, I hate you. You’re horrible!!!!”
Typical response:
“Emily, don’t be so rude!”
“Life’s unfair!”
“I am not horrible and you don’t hate me.”
PACE-ful response:
“OH WOW [in an animated voice], you’re feeling REALLY ANGRY [with a concerned expression]….you think I’m being mean by not letting you go on the swings when you really want to go…I’m saying no and you really want to go and that feels rubbish…it’s so frustrating when
someone says we can’t do something that we want to do!”
“I’m really sorry you feel that I hate you Emily that must feel awful – no wonder you’re so angry and upset if you think I hate you! I’d want to scream and shout too…”
“It’s rubbish that we can’t do the things we enjoy right now…I’m missing the swings too…maybe we could all have a think about what other games we could on our way home…”

The 4 R’s of Responding with PACE

To support practical application, PACE can be aligned with the “4 R’s of Responding”: Regulate, Relate, Reason, and Repair. These steps provide a framework for managing challenging behaviours while maintaining emotional safety.

Regulate involves calming both the child and the adult. Adults must notice their own emotional state, ensuring they remain calm, compassionate, and engaged. They also help the child regulate by addressing immediate safety concerns and using soothing, light-hearted approaches.

Relate comes next, where adults seek to understand the meaning behind the child’s behaviour. Using curiosity and empathy, they explore the child’s motives, fears, or frustrations, showing genuine interest in their experience.

Reason follows, when the adult and child can discuss the behaviour rationally. Logical consequences may be introduced here, but always in a way that separates the behaviour from the child’s worth.

Repair is the final step, ensuring the relationship remains strong. This might include offering a hug, doing something enjoyable together, or using words and actions to affirm ongoing love and connection.

For example, if a child breaks a jar in a supermarket, a PACE-ful process would involve regulating emotions first, then relating by wondering what feelings triggered the act. Once calm, the child can reason about consequences, such as writing a letter of apology. Finally, repairing the relationship reassures the child that the incident does not damage their bond with the adult.

This structured yet compassionate approach ensures that discipline is balanced with emotional safety, turning difficult incidents into opportunities for growth.

Conclusion

PACE offers a trauma-informed, attachment-based framework for supporting children and young people. By integrating Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy into everyday interactions, adults can build stronger, safer, and more trusting relationships. The approach recognises that behind every challenging behaviour is an unmet need, an unspoken emotion, or a legacy of trauma. Instead of focusing narrowly on behaviour management, PACE invites adults to engage with the whole child, affirming their worth and supporting their healing journey.

Through consistent practice, PACE not only helps children regulate emotions but also strengthens the resilience of caregivers, teachers, and social workers. The “4 R’s of Responding” provide a practical framework for applying these principles, ensuring that discipline and connection go hand in hand. Ultimately, PACE reminds us that children are not problems to be fixed but individuals to be understood, supported, and valued.

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Understanding Adolescent Health in the Social Work Perspective

Understanding adolescent health from a social work perspective requires a multidimensional appreciation of the complex and dynamic changes occurring during adolescence, as well as the systemic factors that influence these changes. Adolescents, typically defined as individuals between the ages of 10 and 19, undergo significant physical, emotional, psychological, and social transformations that shape their development and identity. Social workers engaging with adolescents must be equipped to recognize these transitions and respond holistically to the needs that arise during this critical period.

The adolescent stage is marked by biological changes such as puberty, which initiate physical growth spurts and the development of secondary sexual characteristics. Alongside these bodily changes, adolescents experience cognitive and emotional growth, characterized by increased abstract thinking, self-awareness, and the formation of identity. These developmental changes bring about a need for autonomy and a desire for peer acceptance, often leading to conflicts with parental authority and experimentation with new behaviors and roles. Social workers must therefore understand adolescence not as a problem to be managed, but as a normal and essential developmental stage that, while challenging, presents opportunities for growth and resilience.

Stages of Adolescent Development

Adolescence is commonly divided into three distinct stages: early adolescence (10–13 years), middle adolescence (14–16 years), and late adolescence (17–19 years). Each stage presents specific developmental tasks and challenges. In early adolescence, individuals experience the onset of puberty, resulting in rapid physical growth and hormonal changes. This stage is often marked by increased self-consciousness, heightened sensitivity to peer influence, and an emerging sense of identity. During middle adolescence, cognitive development advances, allowing for more complex reasoning, abstract thinking, and questioning of authority. Emotional intensity peaks, and adolescents often strive for greater independence from parental control while seeking approval from peers. By late adolescence, individuals typically gain greater emotional stability, clearer identity formation, and improved decision-making abilities. This period also involves preparation for adult roles, including vocational planning and the establishment of intimate relationships. Social workers must tailor their approaches according to the developmental needs and cognitive maturity of adolescents in each stage, ensuring interventions are age-appropriate and supportive of healthy growth.

In understanding adolescent health, it is essential to contextualize it within broader determinants. The family, school, peer group, media, and community each play a critical role in shaping an adolescent’s behavior and health outcomes. For instance, family structures and parenting styles can have profound effects on adolescents’ emotional well-being and behavior. Supportive family environments tend to encourage healthy development, while families experiencing conflict, neglect, or abuse can contribute to poor outcomes such as substance abuse, depression, or delinquent behavior. Similarly, the school environment can either support or hinder adolescents’ development. Schools that foster inclusivity, participation, and a sense of belonging can act as protective factors, whereas those marked by bullying, academic pressure, or neglect may exacerbate vulnerabilities.

Peers also become increasingly influential during adolescence. Peer groups offer adolescents the opportunity to form social identities and practice autonomy. While positive peer influence can promote healthy behaviors and reinforce social norms, negative peer influence may lead to risk-taking behaviors such as smoking, drinking, or unprotected sex. Media and technology, especially social media, also significantly impact adolescents’ mental and emotional health. The constant exposure to idealized lifestyles, peer comparison, and online bullying can increase stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Social workers must therefore consider these social determinants in their interventions and work collaboratively with families, schools, and communities to promote adolescent health.

One of the significant areas of concern in adolescent health is mental health. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and self-harm, often exacerbated by academic pressure, social isolation, or identity crises. Mental health challenges in adolescence frequently go unrecognized or untreated due to stigma, lack of awareness, or limited access to mental health services. Social workers play a critical role in early identification, prevention, and intervention by providing counseling, advocating for supportive school environments, and linking adolescents with appropriate mental health services. Building trusting relationships with adolescents is essential, as it encourages openness and helps in addressing underlying issues in a nonjudgmental manner.

Another central issue is reproductive and sexual health. Adolescents often lack accurate knowledge about sexual and reproductive health, resulting in early pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unsafe abortions. Inadequate sex education and cultural taboos further contribute to misinformation and risky behaviors. Social workers can provide adolescents with age-appropriate, culturally sensitive education that empowers them to make informed decisions about their bodies and relationships. Promoting open communication about sexuality, ensuring access to contraceptives, and addressing gender-based violence are key strategies to improve adolescent reproductive health.

Substance use is another prevalent concern during adolescence. The desire for experimentation, peer influence, and coping with stress or trauma can lead adolescents to use tobacco, alcohol, or drugs. Early initiation of substance use is associated with long-term health problems and social consequences. Social workers must adopt a preventive approach that involves raising awareness about the risks of substance use, building adolescents’ coping skills, and supporting families in creating protective environments. For adolescents already engaging in substance use, harm reduction strategies and rehabilitation services must be made accessible and non-punitive.

Nutrition and physical health also play a crucial role in adolescent development. Adolescents have increased nutritional needs due to rapid growth, but they often adopt poor dietary habits influenced by peer norms, media, and lifestyle changes. Malnutrition—both undernutrition and obesity—can have lasting impacts on health, affecting physical development, academic performance, and self-esteem. Encouraging healthy eating habits, regular physical activity, and body positivity is vital. Social workers can contribute by organizing community-based health programs, advocating for adolescent-friendly health services, and engaging with schools to ensure balanced nutrition and physical education.

From a social work perspective, promoting adolescent health requires a rights-based, strengths-focused approach. Adolescents are not merely passive recipients of care; they are active agents in their development. Social workers must empower adolescents to voice their concerns, participate in decisions affecting them, and access opportunities that nurture their potential. This includes advocating for adolescent-friendly policies, improving access to education and health care, and addressing systemic inequalities that marginalize certain groups of adolescents, such as those with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, or those in conflict with the law.

Cultural sensitivity and ethical practice are fundamental to effective social work with adolescents. Interventions must respect adolescents’ dignity, privacy, and autonomy while recognizing the role of cultural norms and values in shaping behaviors. At the same time, social workers must challenge harmful practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation, or honor-based violence. Balancing cultural competence with advocacy for adolescent rights is a delicate but essential task.

In conclusion, understanding adolescent health through a social work lens entails a comprehensive appreciation of developmental, psychological, social, and systemic factors that influence health outcomes. Social workers must adopt a holistic, preventive, and participatory approach that addresses the unique challenges adolescents face while fostering resilience and empowerment. By working in partnership with families, schools, communities, and policy-makers, social workers can contribute significantly to the promotion of adolescent health and well-being, ensuring that this critical phase of life becomes a foundation for a healthy and productive adulthood.

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Social work and age assessments

Age assessment is a critical process used to determine the age of individuals, particularly those who are unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) or individuals whose age is disputed. This guide explores the necessity, methodology, challenges, and implications of age assessment within the context of social work and immigration policies.

The importance of age assessment lies in its direct impact on the rights and services available to individuals. A fourteen-year-old child, for example, has very different needs from a sixteen-year-old and is treated differently under the law. When accurate documentary evidence such as a birth certificate or passport is unavailable, age assessment ensures that appropriate protections and responsibilities are upheld. Incorrect assessments can have severe safeguarding consequences, such as placing an adult with children or vice versa. The introduction of the Illegal Migration Act 2023 further emphasizes the significance of accurate assessments, as children wrongly classified as adults risk removal from the UK without due consideration of their protection and human rights claims.

The necessity of an age assessment is evaluated based on the presence of doubt about a young person’s claimed age. If reliable, independent documentary evidence exists, an assessment may not be required. However, many young asylum seekers lack such documentation due to reasons including the non-issuance of birth certificates in their home countries, loss of documents during displacement, or advice to discard them for safety reasons.

Upon arrival in the UK, a young person’s first contact is typically with Border Force officials, who refer individuals they believe to be under 19 for assessment. Police officers, who lack age screening authority, must refer such individuals to children’s social work services. Conducting an age assessment at a police station is generally not Merton compliant, as it fails to provide a conducive environment for an accurate evaluation.

Preparation for the age assessment interview involves gathering relevant country of origin reports to enhance the cultural competence of social workers. These reports offer insights into political, social, and cultural contexts that may affect a young person’s statements and behavior. Utilizing reports from multiple reputable sources ensures accuracy and objectivity in the assessment.

The age assessment process itself is inherently stressful for young individuals. Measures should be taken to reduce stress, including providing adequate notice, ensuring appropriate interpreter services, selecting interviewers of the same gender when necessary, and conducting assessments in a suitable setting.

Interpreters play a crucial role in age assessments, particularly when the young person speaks a regional dialect that differs from the mainstream language. A professional interpreter helps ensure accurate communication and avoids misunderstandings that could compromise the assessment.

The interview process should follow a structured but flexible approach. Social workers must employ open-ended questions that allow individuals to provide narrative responses, helping to assess their experiences, education, and chronological age. The use of the ‘circular approach,’ as established by the Merton judgement, allows social workers to cross-reference information provided by the young person throughout different parts of the interview.

Key factors in determining age include physical appearance, demeanor, communication skills, and cultural considerations. However, sole reliance on physical traits such as height, facial hair, or voice tone can be misleading due to genetic and nutritional variations. Similarly, the ability to articulate well does not necessarily indicate adulthood. Trauma, displacement, and life experiences significantly affect behavior, making chronological age assessment complex.

Social workers should also consider external sources of information such as foster carers and teachers, who can provide insight into a young person’s behavior and maturity relative to their peers. However, the responsibility for determining age ultimately lies with the social worker, not other professionals.

The role of social media in age assessments is limited, as information found online may be unreliable, manipulated, or taken out of context. Nonetheless, if a young person voluntarily provides access to their social media as supporting evidence, it can be considered with caution.

The assessment process should be timely, ideally not exceeding 28 days, with a maximum of three months. Lengthy assessments prolong stress for the young person and may delay critical support services.

Once evidence has been gathered, social workers must weigh the information carefully, distinguishing between factual observations and subjective interpretations. The ‘minded to’ process provides the young person with an opportunity to respond to preliminary findings before a final decision is made. This step is legally significant, as failure to conduct it properly can result in judicial reviews overturning the assessment.

Following the ‘minded to’ meeting, a formal decision meeting is held where the young person is informed of the final outcome. If they are deemed a child, they receive the necessary support. If assessed as an adult, careful transition planning is required to ensure continued support where appropriate.

Judicial reviews and appeals against age assessments have become increasingly common. Challenges often arise from over-reliance on physical appearance, failure to conduct a ‘minded to’ meeting, or insufficiently documented assessments. Clear, detailed documentation is essential to withstand legal scrutiny.

The National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), established under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, employs Home Office social workers to conduct age assessments. The shift from local authority-led assessments to Home Office-controlled evaluations raises concerns about impartiality, as NAAB operates within an immigration enforcement framework rather than a child welfare-focused system.

Scientific methods of age assessment, such as dental and bone analysis, are expected to be introduced under government policies. However, experts estimate that these methods will only be accurate within a five-year range, underscoring the continued importance of professional social work judgment.

Additional challenges in age assessment arise from cases of smuggling and trafficking. Traffickers may coach young people to claim specific ages, while victims may be unaware of their actual chronological age. Social workers must navigate these complexities with sensitivity, ensuring that decisions prioritize the protection and welfare of vulnerable individuals.

Age assessment remains a complex yet essential process that directly impacts the legal rights, protection, and welfare of young people. Social workers play a pivotal role in ensuring assessments are conducted ethically, rigorously, and fairly, balancing the need for accurate age determination with the overarching duty to safeguard children and young people from harm.

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Unheard, Uninformed, Uninvolved: The Reality of Child Participation in Welfare Services

Children involved in child welfare services (CWS) are often positioned as vulnerable individuals in need of protection. While the right to be heard is a fundamental aspect of child welfare policy, many young people receiving services find themselves excluded from the very decisions that shape their lives. This article explores the experiences of thirty-three young people in Nova Scotia, Canada, revealing a striking pattern of feeling unheard, uninformed, and uninvolved. Through qualitative research, it becomes clear that meaningful child participation is often an aspiration rather than a reality. The findings indicate that including young people in decision-making processes fosters trust, improves cooperation, and enhances well-being both during and after their time in care.

The concept of child participation is widely recognized in social work. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Canada ratified in 1991, guarantees children the right to be heard in matters that concern them. Despite this, child protection systems frequently emphasize safeguarding over empowerment. Social workers, bound by legal and procedural obligations, often view children as passive recipients rather than active participants. This perspective not only limits children’s agency but also exacerbates their sense of isolation and powerlessness within the system. Additionally, bureaucratic barriers, high caseloads, and risk-averse policies contribute to an environment where social workers prioritize procedural efficiency over meaningful engagement with young people.

One of the most prominent themes emerging from the study is that children feel unheard by their caseworkers and other professionals. Many young people report that, even when encouraged to share their concerns, their voices are dismissed or their experiences questioned. One participant, an eighteen-year-old male, described how he was invited to express himself but found that nothing changed as a result. Others recounted being outright accused of lying when attempting to discuss issues with their social workers, teachers, or therapists. This lack of trust and belief in their experiences led to growing resentment and detachment from the system meant to support them. The perception that social workers act as gatekeepers rather than advocates reinforces a cycle of disengagement, as children lose confidence in the system’s ability to address their concerns.

The problem extends beyond not being heard—many children are also uninformed about critical aspects of their care. Young people in the study frequently expressed frustration at being left out of key decisions, such as where they would live or when they could see their families. Some recounted experiences of being suddenly moved to new placements without prior notice or explanation. In extreme cases, young people were subjected to traumatic transitions, such as being taken into care without understanding the circumstances, placed in residential facilities without prior knowledge of what to expect, or having their case files lost due to administrative errors. The absence of clear communication left many feeling powerless and confused. This systemic failure to provide timely, accurate, and child-friendly information further alienates youth from their own case planning.

Feeling uninformed naturally leads to a broader sense of being uninvolved in one’s own life. Many participants in the study felt that they had little to no control over major decisions. Some reported being forced into therapy against their will, while others were pressured to accept adoption despite their objections. The lack of agency in these deeply personal decisions reinforced a feeling of helplessness, making them question whether their preferences and opinions mattered at all. This detachment not only impacts their emotional well-being but also their long-term ability to navigate adulthood successfully, as they are deprived of opportunities to develop critical decision-making skills.

Faced with these challenges, young people developed various coping strategies to regain a sense of control. Some withheld information from their caseworkers, providing only minimal details in an effort to protect themselves from perceived manipulation. Others adopted more overtly defiant tactics, such as pretending to cooperate with treatment plans in order to expedite their release from care. In extreme cases, some youth attempted to run away, seeing it as their only means of asserting autonomy over their lives. These coping mechanisms highlight a deeper systemic failure: when young people do not feel included in their own care, they resort to strategies that ultimately undermine their well-being and disrupt the very services meant to support them. The cycle of mistrust and disengagement only serves to reinforce negative outcomes, including homelessness, mental health struggles, and involvement with the justice system after aging out of care.

The study’s findings underscore a fundamental need for systemic change in child welfare services. Meaningful participation should not be an afterthought but an integral part of the care process. Social workers and policymakers must actively work to ensure that young people are consistently informed, consulted, and given genuine opportunities to shape the decisions that affect them. Training for caseworkers should emphasize the importance of treating children as active agents rather than passive subjects. Additionally, standardized guidelines should be implemented to guarantee that all children, regardless of their circumstances, are given a voice in their care. More accountability measures should also be put in place to ensure that professionals who neglect to involve youth in decision-making are held responsible for their actions. Furthermore, investing in independent advocates or youth advisory boards could offer additional support in ensuring that children’s perspectives are taken seriously.

This research highlights the stark contrast between the ideals of child participation and the lived realities of young people in the child welfare system. While policies exist to protect children’s rights, their implementation remains inconsistent. The voices of young people must be central to any reform efforts, ensuring that child welfare services not only safeguard their well-being but also empower them to take an active role in shaping their futures. Without deliberate and meaningful structural changes, the disempowerment experienced by young people in care will continue, perpetuating cycles of mistrust and disengagement that undermine the very goals child welfare services aim to achieve.

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