安置機構工作人員實踐兒少最佳利益之初探—以安置照顧為例

兒少安置機構是弱勢兒少成長的暫時性替代照顧場域。筆者從自我的生命經驗、安置兒少的發聲及工作人員的實踐看到，過去安置機構存在「犧牲小我（個人想望）以成全大我（機構管理）」的教養文化，在以「保障兒少最佳利益」為主流論述的兒童替代照顧政策影響下有逐漸鬆動的可能，但是檢視過往相關研究多僅停留在論述表層，未能看見這波兒權思潮所帶起的安置機構改革的日常實踐，特別是在院生最關切的生活照顧層面。本研究深度訪談24位中長期兒少安置機構的工作人員，發現工作人員針對兒童權利與兒少最佳利益有全人觀點、義務觀點及文化相對觀點的三種詮釋。在實踐中採家庭式機構照顧，分為大團體家庭式、修正大團體家庭式、小團體家庭式及夫妻／小團體家庭式。目前多數機構已透過家庭會議、申訴管道等方式實踐兒童權利與兒少最佳利益，但仍面臨許多困境，包括照顧多重創傷議題的特殊需求兒少、難以滿足兒少建立自我的想望（如發展伴侶親密關係及性探索）、兒少隱私權、兒少在學校適應困難、基層員工與主管對兒權理解的落差。機構會採取的因應策略則包括跨專業、系統合作／決策模式、編制正規支援人力、調整工作模式、個人多元化陪伴等。機構工作人員對於國家政策面的建議包括應貼近實務需求提供兒權知識、理解實務困境、挹注足額的照顧經費及協助機構轉型。本研究有利於工作人員了解實踐兒權的關鍵條件，促進優化機構照顧服務品質，同時也提供政府了解安置機構工作人員的困境與需求之參考基礎。

關鍵字

兒少安置機構；兒少最佳利益；兒童權利公約；工作人員；安置照顧

並列摘要

Residential child and youth care is temporary alternative care field for disadvantaged children and youth. From the author’s personal experience, the voices of the children in the residential placements, and the practices of the service providers, the author has seen that the past culture of “sacrificing the small interest (personal aspirations) for the greater interest (institutional management)” in the residential placements have been gradually relaxed under the influence of the policy of alternative care for children with the mainstream expound of “safeguarding the best interests of the child”. However, past research studies have mostly remained superficial in their discourse, failing to see the daily practice of institutional reform brought about by this wave of child rights thinking, which is particularly true for the most important aspect of daily living care. This research conducted in-depth interviews with 24 service providers of medium and long-term residential child and youth care, which revealed three different interpretations of children’s rights and the best interests: the holistic, the obligatory, and the cultural relativism perspectives. In practice, family-based residential care is used with large group family, modified large group family, small group family, and couple/small group family types. Currently, most residential placements are already practicing children’s rights and children’s best interests through family meetings and complaint channels, however, there are still many dilemmas, including catering for children and youth with special needs who have multiple trauma issues, difficulties in meeting children and youth’s personal needs and desires (e.g. developing intimate relationships with partners and sexual exploration), children and youth’s right to privacy, their difficulties of adaptation at school, and the gap in understanding the children’s rights between junior staff and supervisors. The strategies adopted by the residential placements include inter-disciplinary and systemic collaboration/decision-making models, the establishment of formal support staff, adjustment of work patterns, and personal diversity accompaniment. Suggestions from service providers of residential placement on the national policy side include providing children’s rights knowledge in a practical context, understanding practical dilemmas, providing adequate funding for care, and helping residential placement to transform. This study will help service providers understand the key conditions for the implementation of children’s rights, contribute to improving the quality of residential child and youth care services, and provide a consultation for the government to understand the plight and needs of service providers in residential placements.