Protection and participation in the Child Act: A discourse analysis of understandings of children and young people with disabilities
Translated title
Beskyttelse og inndragelse i Barnets lov: En diskursanalyse av forståelser av barn og unge med funksjonsnedsettelse
Authors
Nygård, Benedicte ; Wrige, Inger Linnéa Alling
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Abstract
This study examines how protection and participation for children and young people with disabilities are framed in Denmark’s Child Act (Barnets lov). Using a qualitative discourse analysis inspired by Carol Bacchi’s WPR approach and Foucault’s perspectives on power, governance, and subjectification, the analysis focuses on legal and policy texts—namely the Act itself (2023), preparatory works, official guidelines, and related policy documents—rather than on implementation in practice. The study explores how these texts produce particular understandings of disability, competence, vulnerability, and participation. Findings show that participation is constructed as a central legal and normative principle, positioning children as rights-bearing subjects with a voice in decisions about their lives. However, for children with disabilities, participation is consistently mediated by professional assessments of maturity, communication abilities, support needs, and vulnerability, making participation contingent on institutional interpretation and professional judgment. The law situates these children in a tension between autonomy and protection; protective frameworks shape how children’s perspectives are recognized and interpreted. The analysis also identifies silences around broader structural and societal barriers, with responsibility for participation and inclusion primarily located within professional and administrative practices rather than wider social conditions. Overall, the Act reflects an ambition to strengthen rights and participation while reproducing governing rationalities that shape understandings of competence, autonomy, and vulnerability. The study contributes to a critical discussion of how legislation influences conditions for participation and recognition within social work and welfare governance.
Dette studie undersøger, hvordan beskyttelse og inddragelse af børn og unge med funktionsnedsættelse forstås og rammesættes i den danske Barnets lov. Med en kvalitativ, diskursanalytisk tilgang, inspireret af Carol Bacchis WPR-ramme og Foucaults perspektiver på magt, styring og subjektivering, analyseres lovteksten, forarbejder, officielle vejledninger og relaterede policydokumenter. Studiet ser ikke på implementering i praksis, men på hvordan teksterne i sig selv skaber bestemte forståelser af handicap, kompetence, sårbarhed og deltagelse. Analysen viser, at inddragelse konstrueres som et centralt retligt og normativt princip, og at børn generelt positioneres som rettighedsbærende subjekter med ret til at blive hørt. For børn med funktionsnedsættelse bliver inddragelsen dog gennemgående betinget af professionelle vurderinger af modenhed, kommunikationsevne, støttebehov og sårbarhed, hvilket gør deltagelsen afhængig af institutionelle fortolkninger og skøn. Loven placerer børn med funktionsnedsættelse i et spændingsfelt mellem autonomi og beskyttelse; beskyttelsesrammerne præger, hvordan børns perspektiver anerkendes og tolkes. Studiet identificerer også tavsheder om bredere strukturelle og samfundsskabte barrierer, idet ansvar for inddragelse og inklusion primært placeres i professionelle og administrative praksisser frem for i bredere sociale vilkår. Samlet konkluderes, at Barnets lov rummer en klar ambition om at styrke rettigheder og deltagelse, men samtidig reproducerer styringsrationaler, der former forståelser af kompetence, autonomi og sårbarhed. Studiet bidrager dermed til en kritisk diskussion af, hvordan lovgivning påvirker betingelserne for inddragelse og anerkendelse i socialt arbejde og velfærdsstyring.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]