ABSTRACT
The chapter seeks to a lay out theoretical steppingstones in how to understand how professional practitioners can let a human rights standard guide decision-making, and ensure that decisions do not breach the rights of the child. It will be argued that the human rights standard has its origin in the aim of human rights to secure dignity of each individual person. Using this insight in CPS practices and in combination with the child’s right to express itself in administrative proceedings that affect their lives, it will be argued that listening to the child becomes imperative to understand how to safeguard and protect the dignity of the individual child. It is argued that Art. 12 must be understood as a devise that enables the child to assist and inform what is in the child’s best interest, which is a primary consideration in rights-based practices according to CRC Art. 3.1.
