Project: Participation in Residential Childcare

Aims

Since the introduction of participation rights for young people related to the UN CRC worldwide, empirical studies have reported barriers and obstacles in the implementation of participation, especially in residential care. The scope of the participation rights of the UN-CRC is critically assessed, especially regarding the link between participation and protection. The child´s best interest is essential for participation rights and protection. But it is also been pointed out that the definition of the child´s best interest lies in powerful discourses among adults which exclude young people’s views and impede informed decision making. The socio-cultural image of children as in need of adult protection – and the underlying power – limits young people’s participation.
Complaints procedures that could be used by children and young people were introduced mandatory in Germany since 2012. This was part of the Federal Law for the Protection of Children and related to the guidelines of the UN CRC. Only a few researchers have analyzed these complaints procedures, how they work and if they secure participatory rights of children and young people in residential care.
The project starts to research participation and complaint procedures in organizational cultures of residential care in child welfare in Germany. Additionally, underlying power dynamics of participation processes are reconstructed.

Partial objectives

22 institutions are qualitatively investigated nationwide. Focus groups with staff and young people (migrants, refugees and natives) are going to be conducted in addition to interviews with the management of the facilities.
A pilot study has already been carried out and initial research results have been obtained. Eight cases of the pilot study that have been evaluated are included in the evaluation of the project. In total, 30 institutions in Germany are being assessed with qualitative methods.

Procedure

1st work phase: Data collection and thematic development
2nd work phase: First evaluation of the data material
3. Workshop with experts to discuss the findings
4. cross-case generation of types
5. Final report and publications

The project answers important questions concerning participation and complaints in residential care.  Although the Federal Child Protection Act has made the conceptual introduction of participation and complaint procedures obligatory for institution, so far there has been little knowledge about the effects, opportunities, as well as limitations of these procedures.
The project further examines the influence of power dynamics on the participation of natives and migrants or refugees in residential youth care.

Recent books
Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures” [2024 by Barbara Budrich].
Children’s Rights to Participate in Out-of-Home Care International Social Work Contexts Edited by Claudia Equit and Jade Purtell (peer reviewed).
Equit, C./ Flößer, G./ Witzel, M. (Ed.) (2017): Beteiligung und Beschwerde in der Heimerziehung. Grundlagen, Anforderungen und Perspektiven. Walhalla. 

Book Chapters and Articles
Equit, C. (2024): "It's burning in many areas!" Perspectives of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic in residential group care. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich. (peer reviewed)
Equit, C./ Ganterer, J./ Finckh, A. (2024): Safeguarding Children´s Rights in Residential Child Care – Introduction. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich. 
Equit, C./ Ganterer, J./ Finckh, A. (2024): Organizational Subcultures in Children´s Homes – Key Results from the Study. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Equit, C. (2024): “This is your home, that's what it's supposed to be” Participation in Residential Care. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Equit, C. (2024): “...but the professionals decide everything” – Complaint Procedures and Processes in Residential Care. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Equit, C. (2024): Organizational Power Dynamics in Residential Care as Key Drivers for Safeguarding Children´s Right´s. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Thomas, E. (2024): Covid-19- Pandemic – Challenges and Perspectives of Young People in Alternative Care. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Finckh, A. (2024): Participation and Complaint Procedures in Children´s Homes – What do Children and Young People think about it? In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Ganterer, J. (2024): No Voice – No Choice? Silencing Practices of Children and Young People in Children´s Homes. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Ganterer, J. (2024): Victimisation in Residential Care – Key Results from the Study. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Equit, C./ Ganterer, J. (2024): Conclusion. In: Equit, C. (Ed.): Participation in Residential Childcare. Safeguarding children´s rights through participation and complaint procedures. Opladen: Budrich.
Equit, C./ Purtell. J. (2023): Participation of Children and Young People in Alternative Care – Introduction. In: Equit, C./ Purtell, J. (Ed.): Children’s Rights to Participate in Out-of-Home Care. International Social Work Contexts. London: Routledge, 1-12.
Equit, C. (2023): Different Subcultures in Residential Groups in Germany – Implications for Participation and the Victimization of Children and Young People. In: Equit, C./ Purtell, J. (Ed.): Children’s Rights to Participate in Out-of-Home Care. International Social Work Contexts. London: Routledge, 150-166.
Equit, C./ Purtell. J. (2023): Conclusion: Challenges and Progress for Participating Young People in Residential Groups and Foster Families. In: Equit, C./ Purtell, J. (Ed.): Children’s Rights to Participate in Out-of-Home Care. International Social Work Contexts. London: Routledge, 184-195.
Equit, C. (2022): Die Förderung von Bildung durch professionelle Beziehungsgestaltung. In: Behnisch, M./ Schäfer, D. (Ed.): Professionelle Nähe in der Heimerziehung. Regensburg: Walhalla, 122-135.
Equit, C. (2020): Bilder von Jugend und Erwachsenheit in der Heimerziehung aus der Perspektive von Adressat*innen und Fachkräften. In: Ritter, B./ Schmidt, F. (Ed.): Sozialpädagogische Kindheit(en) und Jugend(en). Weinheim und Basel: Beltz, 257-273. 
Equit, C./ Lewis, G. (2020): Beteiligungs- und Beschwerdemanagement in der Inobhutnahme, in: Fachgruppe Inobhutnahme (Ed.): Handbuch Inobhutnahme: Grundlagen – Praxis und Methoden – Spannungsfelder. Frankfurt a. Main: Internationale Gesellschaft für Erzieherische Hilfen, 303-318.
Equit, C. (2018): Organisationskulturen der Aneignung, Fürsorge und Compliance im Bereich Heimerziehung, in: Neue Praxis, 1, 16-29. (peer reviewed)
Equit, C. (2017): Organisationskulturen der Beteiligung und Beschwerde in stationären Erziehungshilfen. In: Equit, C./ Flößer, G./ Witzel, M. (Ed.): Beteiligung und Beschwerde in der Heimerziehung. Grundlagen, Anforderungen, Perspektiven. Frankfurt a. Main: Internationale Gesellschaft für Erzieherische Hilfen, 168-186.
Equit, C. (2017): „Also ich muss sagen, ich bin extrem glücklich, dass ich hier bin.“ Emotionen, Anerkennung und Macht in stationären Erziehungshilfen, in: Sozialmagazin. Die Zeitschrift für Soziale Arbeit. Themenheft Emotionen und Affekte 42, 7-8, 66-73.

Presentations
Claudia Equit: Organisationskulturen der Beteiligung und Beschwerde in der Heimerziehung. DGfE Tagung Kommission Sozialpädagogik, AG Beteiligung und Beschwerde in der Heimerziehung am 19. Mai 2017, Vechta.
Claudia Equit: Gewaltaffine Organisationskulturen in der Heimerziehung, 06. Juni 2017, Universität Frankfurt. 
Claudia Equit: Participation and Protection in Organizational Cultures of Residential Care in Germany. European Scientific Association on Residential and Family Care, 02.-05. Oktober 2018, Porto, Portugal.
Claudia Equit: Familialität in der Heimerziehung. Jahrestagung der DGfE Sektion Sozialpädagogik und Pädagogik der frühen Kindheit, 23.-25. Mai 2019, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg.
Antonia Finckh und Claudia Equit: Partizipation und soziale Exklusion in der stationären Jugendhilfe. Trinationale Tagung der DGSA/OGSA/SGSA – Trinational 2021. Europäische Gesellschaft(en) zwischen Kohäsion und Spaltung, 24. April 2021, Landshut (Online).
Antonia Finckh und Claudia Equit: „Ja die Wahrnehmung ist wirklich manchmal eine ganz andere“ Partizipations- und Beschwerdeprozesse in stationären Wohngruppen. Ringvorlesung: Adresat:innen und Nutzer:innen in der Sozialen Arbeit. Die Blicke der Forschung – die Stimme der Nutzer:innen, 25. Juni 2021, Universität Hamburg (Online).
Antonia Finckh und Claudia Equit: 1) Participatory processes and complaint management in residential group care – as seen from the perspective of young people and of staff members 2) Perspectives of young people and staff members in residential living groups during the COVID-19 pandemic on everyday life matters and participation in living groups. EuSARF 2021. The Perspective of the Child. 01.-03. September 2021, Zürich (Online).
Claudia Equit, Antonia Finckh, Julia Ganterer: Professionell und familial zugleich? Be- und entgrenzte Sorge im heterogenen Feld der stationären Erziehungshilfen. Arbeitsgruppe beim 28. DGfE-Kongress 2022 ENT | GRENZ | UNGEN. 13.-16. März 2022, Universität Bremen (Online).
Claudia Equit, Julia Ganterer: Partizipation in Organisationskulturen der Heimerziehung“ auf der Basis von Gruppendiskussionen und Expert*inneninterviews. Typenbildung im Rahmen der Dokumentarischen Methode Methodenworkshop. 23. März 2022, CES (Online).
Claudia Equit, Julia Ganterer: Beschwerde(prozesse) als Adressierungs- und Anerkennungspraktiken in der Heimerziehung. Eine kritische Annäherung. (Artikelskizze). Reflexions- und Interpretationswerkstatt für Forschung zur Sozialpädagogik Forschungswerkstatt, 08. Juni 2022, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg.
Antonia Finckh: Partizipation in stationären Erziehungshilfen – aktuelle Forschungsbefunde und internationale Desiderate. Bildungsforschung ist das Thema. Erziehungswissenschaftliche perspektiven Tagung. 10.-11. Juni 2022, TU Dortmund.
Claudia Equit, Julia Ganterer, Elisabeth Thomas, Melanie Warpaul: Partizipation am Rande. Institutionalisierungen des Alltags aus Sicht der Kinder und Jugendlichen. Theorie-AG der Kommission Sozialpädagogik in der DGfE. 02.12.2022 (Online).
Julia Ganterer: No Voice - No Choice? Silencing Practices in Residential Childcare. XX ISA World Congress of Sociology. 25. Juni bis 1. Juli 2023, Melbourne, Australien (Abstract accept).
Claudia Equit: Participation through Relationsships? The potential of professional relationships to facilitate the participation of children in residential childcare. European Conference for Social Work Research (ECSWR), 12.-14. April 2023 Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano, Italy (Abstract accept).