Participation of children and youth in restrictive contexts or conditions: Better understanding their experiences and intervention practices

Participation of children and youth in restrictive contexts or conditions: Better understanding their experiences and intervention practices

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-Vol25-Issue2-fulltext-3879

Keywords:

children's rights, children's participation, editorial, thematic section

Abstract

The participation of children and adolescents, recognized as a fundamental right by the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, is based on a view of young people as individuals capable of actively acting and influencing their social environment. Thus, children and adolescents are no longer seen as mere adults in the making; rather, they are recognized as true social actors who exercise their citizenship and enjoy rights on an equal footing. This special issue, produced in collaboration with the Canadian journal Travail Social, seeks to explore in depth the experiences of children and adolescents’ participation in restrictive institutional and social contexts, as well as the strategies that they and other social actors employ to navigate, challenge, and transform these contexts. The goal is to contribute to the development of new knowledge about the ways in which they participate in settings where such participation is often limited, and to understand the dynamics that shape both restrictions and opportunities for participation. The aim is to shed light on the mechanisms through which children and youth negotiate, contest, and construct their place within social, educational, and political systems that are often rigid.

Author Biographies

Manuela García-Quiroga, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

Psychologist with a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. She also holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychopathology from the Universitat Autônoma de Barcelona, España. Her research focuses on childhood and public policy, with an emphasis on alternative care (residential facilities and foster families), emotional bonding, and child participation.

Carolina Urbina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

Psychologist graduated from the University of Santiago de Chile, holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Her areas of work and research focus on social transformation through participatory research in collaboration with communities. She specifically studies relational practices, both to understand them and to transform them, taking into account the environmental factors that foster this dynamism.

Valentina Vallejo Correa, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

Doctor in Psychology from the Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Universidad de Valparaíso; certificate in Attachment Psychopathology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, with specialization in Child and Adolescent Psychology, from the Universidad de Chile. She has extensive experience in clinical care, conducting psychological assessments, and providing therapy for children and adolescents, as well as caring for victims of sexual assault and facilitating their recovery.

Bárbara Olivares, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

Doctor of Social Sciences from the University of Chile. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Santiago de Chile and a master’s degree in community psychology from the University of Chile.

Rosita Vargas Diaz, Université Laval

Psychologist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with a master’s degree in Anthropology and Sociology from Paris Diderot University in France. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Montreal. Her research is grounded in an integrative approach that combines academic and practical knowledge, and aims to analyze intervention practices in the field of youth protection. Her research focuses on the relationship between the decision-making process and the long-term life plan, the involvement of key stakeholders in decision-making, and the intervention experiences of children, youth, and families at the intersection of multiple vulnerabilities.

Anta Niang, Université de Sherbrooke

PhD in social psychology, researcher at the Institut universitaire de première ligne en santé et services sociaux du CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS de Sherbrooke and an associate professor at the Université de Sherbrooke's School of Social Work. Her research interests focus on the analysis of socio-judicial intervention practices with young people and families in the youth protection and juvenile criminal justice systems.

Isabelle Lacroix, Université Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines/Paris-Saclay

Sociologist, professor at the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines/Paris-Saclay, Printemps (UMR 8085), affiliated with INJEP. Her main areas of research and teaching are Canadian and Quebec public policies, with a particular focus on technology development policies, the societal impacts of disruptive technologies, and the social responsibility of researchers.

Isabelle-Ann Leclair-Mallette, Institut Universitaire Jeunes an Difficulté

She is a researcher at the IUJD and an associate professor in the Department of Psychoeducation at the University of Sherbrooke. Her interests are the realities and well-being of youth under the Youth Protection Act (LPJ) or in custody under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (LSJPA). Her work focuses on the effectiveness, in real-world contexts, of the intervention programs offered in these settings, as well as on youth participation in decisions that affect them.

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Published

2026-07-15

How to Cite

García-Quiroga, M., Urbina, C., Vallejo Correa, V., Olivares, B., Vargas Diaz, R., Niang, A., Lacroix, I., & Leclair-Mallette, I.-A. (2026). Participation of children and youth in restrictive contexts or conditions: Better understanding their experiences and intervention practices. Psicoperspectivas, 25(2). https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-Vol25-Issue2-fulltext-3879

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 2 (2026): Children’s and youth participation in restrictive institutional and social contexts: Gaining a better understanding of their experiences and intervention practices

Section

Editorial

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Manuela García-Quiroga, Carolina Urbina, Valentina Vallejo Correa, Bárbara Olivares, Rosita Vargas Diaz, Anta Niang, Isabelle Lacroix, Isabelle-Ann Leclair-Mallette (Autor)

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