Bell, a consultant, writer, and researcher associated with the U. of York, UK, examines how social work practitioners can work with children and young people to enable them to participate in decisions that affect them in family life and care. She also describes their experiences in these decisions, and the values, skills, and knowledge practitioners need to empower them. She explores the meaning, policy background, and context of children's participation; different methods for involving them as individuals or groups, from their physical presence to advocacy and consultation; the influence of adult attitudes on their capacity to speak out, the opportunities denied due to social disadvantage, and the impact of organizational culture and values on a practitioner; and the results of four research studies of children ages 6 to 19 who received help in family group conferences and initial child protection investigations, and in terms of social work electronic records, as well as their views on the range of help they received, their understanding of how their views affected services, and the responses of agencies. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)