For centuries, residential child and youth care systems worldwide have provided
homes for vulnerable children and adolescents. The implementation of children’s
rights, especially the right of participation, is assessed as an important base for
promoting the best interests of the child in an out-of-home care environment.
Featuring contributions from distinguished international authors, this volume
offers an in-depth understanding of crucial participation processes and underlying power structures when involving young people in decision-making about their care and everyday life in different out-of-home care institutions. Contributions cover a broad spectrum of current research findings concerning the participation of young people in foster families and residential living groups in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland and cross-national perspectives on children’s and young people’s participation in foster and residential care placements in Great Britain and France.