Literature Review of Child Advocacy by School Social Workers: Focus on Japanese Literature Since the Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Abstract

This study examined the research trends on child advocacy by school social workers (SSWrs) in Japan through a systematic literature review. Fourteen papers were analyzed and their contents were categorized into three categories: 1) “Contents on child advocacy by SSWrs”, 2) “Structural difficulty of protecting children’s rights in public education”, and 3) “School social work theory and advocacy.” In the third category, the power transaction model, which includes advocacy as an intervention method, was proposed and some critical reviews have been written. Although it seems likely that it could become the main theory for child advocacy by SSWrs, this model was based on advocacy theory in the United States, and not in Japan. This is important because such theory in the United States focuses on “influencing decision-making,” whereas that in Japan focuses on “protecting rights.”