They can sometimes abuse them, even when intending to act in their best interests. In paediatrics, this type of dilemma is broadly speaking a matter of child protection versus the risk of child abuse and pivots on the caregiver's understanding of a child's viewpoint. Global inequalities in care also feature here. It requires time and skill to explain procedures to a child and to seek co-operation. Yet to be held down and forced to submit to the incomprehensible is to experience terror now and nightmares later.
Decisions taken by adults, can leave children scarred.
Being cross-questioned in court, or being sent into care, can feel to a child like hostility or rejection. Professionals need to learn to think, to listen and then to explain in a child's terms. Of course, if parents are being persistently destructive, hard choices may demand expert opinions. To avoid the disruption implicit in serial short term placements would be to respect a child' s need for long term security. When demand exceeds supply, economies must clearly be made.