Children’s everyday participation in child protection homes: Times, spaces, relationships
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-Vol25-Issue2-fulltext-3721Keywords:
children, ethnography, participation, protection homesAbstract
Children’s and adolescents’ participation in protective care facilities is shaped by debates regarding its definition, as well as the models used to address it. Based on documentary analysis and literature review, we identify three critical nodes for considering participation in residential contexts: temporal, spatial, and relational. In this study, we analyze how these dimensions interplay in the daily experiences of children in protective care facilities, shaping the times, spaces, and relationships that do—or do not—enable participation. This work is grounded in post-ethnographic research involving children’s visual and audio creations at two Chilean facilities. Fieldwork was conducted over two years with 24 girls and 17 boys aged 4 to 19. The results show that children’s participation is shaped by institutional structures and the adult world, with specific time frames, restricted spaces, and limited adult availability. However, multiple everyday expressions also emerge that allow for more spontaneous participation by children, expressions that are generally unrecognized by the institution: these include mutual support, solidarity among peers, games, and collective creations, as well as more disruptive expressions such as runaways, occupations, transgressions, and claims of ownership.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Muriel Armijo Cabrera (Autor)
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