Records management and the rights of children in care

Concerns about record-keeping for children in care have tended to focus on child protection and the value of records sharing as a means to assist children from abuse, including sexual abuse. What tends to be overlooked , however, is the value of records as a means of embedding, embodying and facilitating the exercise of children's rights (including their rights when they become adults). This is especially important given that children and their families have little choice over participation in the out-of-home care system.