ABSTRACT
The participation of children in child protective services (CPS) remains one of the most complex and sensitive areas of child welfare practice. Internationally, children do not participate in CPS decision-making processes regarding their lives: they are not listened to or heard and are invisible despite the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) over 30 years ago. This chapter is a review of the academic literature, examining how Article 12 of the CRC is manifested in research and practice and where a missing link exists between professional practice of child welfare and Article 12.
