This article focuses on young people and participation, drawing on a study
of the Scottish Children's Hearings system, titled Deciding in Children's I
nterests, which was conducted at the University of Stirling between 1994 an
d 1997. It notes the surprising paucity of recent research on the hearings
system, given that it was one of the earliest examples of young people syst
ematically participating in decisions affecting them in a child welfare con
text. The authors consider several dimensions of participation in relation
to the hearings system and other decision-making arenas. They suggest that
participation rights may have become a reality more for young people involv
ed in welfare systems than for other young people in the UK.