Informing, listening, and involving: Professional perspectives on children's participation in adoption court proceedings
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-Vol25-Issue2-fulltext-3759Keywords:
adoption, child participation, family court, right to be heardAbstract
The effective exercise of child participation in family justice remains a challenge, particularly in adoption proceedings, an area that has been little studied. This article presents the results of an exploratory-descriptive qualitative study that analyzed perspectives on child and adolescent participation in adoption proceedings within the family justice system in Chile, based on semi-structured interviews with fifteen participants involved in the judicial system (family court judges, technical advisors, and staff from the Mi Abogado Program). Thematic analysis, guided by the Model of Meaningful Participation, reveals tensions across three dimensions: informing, listening, and involving. The findings show that information directed at children and adolescents tends to be conveyed indirectly, fragmentarily, and inconsistently, which could limit their understanding of the adoption process. Furthermore, listening practices vary widely, depending on judicial criteria, professional styles, and institutional conditions. Finally, the dimension of involvement reveals limitations associated with effective influence on decision-making. The results suggest that child participation in adoption is viewed as an experience caught between conflicting mandates of protection, institutional logics, and rights-based approaches, highlighting the need to move toward standards more consistent, understandable, and relationally sensitive.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Alicia Andrea Fuentes Rebolledo, Irene Salvo Agoglia, Manuela García Quiroga (Autor)
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