Experiences of children's formal and lived participation in family law proceedings

This phenomenological study explores the social meaning of children's participation in the world of the child in the life situation of family law proceedings. The findings, based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with children and young people, suggest that the meaning of formal participation is not necessarily experienced as inherent in the world of the child. Instead, incorporating the concepts of lived participation may provide a more comprehensive understanding of children's participations, which is characterized by an inevitable relational complexity and an overextended sense of responsibility in experiences of familial conflicts and exposure of harm.