Disavowal and Invisibility: A Visual Ethnography on Hindered Voices of Young People in Dutch Youth Care

Against a backdrop of complex dynamics of deterioration in compliance with children's rights, a broken youth care system, and the increasing need for youth care in the Netherlands, this research examines how young people’s voices are hindered in Dutch youth care. It draws on insights obtained through participant observation, interviews, filmmaking, and a survey among both youth care professionals in North Holland and young people throughout the Netherlands. The resulting film and article argue that youth care allows considerable room for ambiguity, which produces significant inequality for young people. Youth care policy and practice, shaped by paternalistic values and discursive notions of youth and care, are maintained by disavowal that works through invisibility. The disavowal involves turning a blind eye to children's voices and, hence, children’s rights, leaving 'the best interests of the child' being held captive by the interests of the state. It suggests that correcting power...Show moreAgainst a backdrop of complex dynamics of deterioration in compliance with children's rights, a broken youth care system, and the increasing need for youth care in the Netherlands, this research examines how young people’s voices are hindered in Dutch youth care. It draws on insights obtained through participant observation, interviews, filmmaking, and a survey among both youth care professionals in North Holland and young people throughout the Netherlands. The resulting film and article argue that youth care allows considerable room for ambiguity, which produces significant inequality for young people. Youth care policy and practice, shaped by paternalistic values and discursive notions of youth and care, are maintained by disavowal that works through invisibility. The disavowal involves turning a blind eye to children's voices and, hence, children’s rights, leaving 'the best interests of the child' being held captive by the interests of the state. It suggests that correcting power by foregrounding young people's autonomy and complying with children’s rights, hence recognising young people as autonomous human beings, is the starting point for rethinking and rebuilding humane Dutch youth care.Show less

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Disavowal and Invisibility: A Visual Ethnography on Hindered Voices of Young People in Dutch Youth Care