© British Association of Social Workers
The Best Interests of the Child
Ronald Walton read Social Aminstration at Manchester University and Worked for 5 years as a Child Care Officer in Oldham.
Summary
The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept of ‘the best interests of the child’. It is argued that its use has often confused rather than helped debates on child care and family work, creating the illusion that ‘the best interests of the child’ constitute an objective fact.
Different assumptions of ends and means in interpreting the ‘best interests of the child’ are discussed followed by an examination of the issues of parental authority and influence in decision making, the rights of the child to have a voice in his or her own future, and the authority of professionals to weigh and balance all the factors.
It is argued that more attention should be given to the complexity of the decision-making processes, that decision making should be shared between children, parents and professionals, and that views of ‘the best interest of the child’ are always contingent, depending on the particular position and assumptions of the person expressing them, as well as the objective circumstances.