The voice of the child in family placement decision making: A developmental model

Making sense of children's development, and in particular the impact of maltreatment and loss on children's minds and behaviour, is an essential part both of listening to children and facilitating their participation in family placement decision-making. Gillian Schofield suggests that an understanding of developmental theory can help practitioners to identify children's strengths and difficulties, make sense of children's communications and enable children to feel more valued and effective. A number of key areas of development are linked together into a model that highlights the complex transactional and psychosocial nature of development, while encouraging practitioners to use this knowledge to support and empower children.