Background: The principle of the best interests of the child, enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), is a cornerstone of child protection systems. However, translating this principle into everyday practice remains challenging, particularly in contexts with different institutional structures and cultural values. This study builds on research conducted in Lithuania and Latvia during an Erasmus placement, which established partnerships with practitioners and provided direct, context-embedded access to both systems.
Objective: This study examines how social workers in Lithuania and Latvia assess and operationalize the best interests principle in child protection, with a focus on assessment processes, frameworks, and systemic factors that shape child-centered practice.
Methods: This study employed a qualitative, theory-informed design, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with 10 practitioners (micro and macro-level roles) and a document analysis of national legal frameworks and methodological guides. Fieldwork was enabled by the author’s Erasmus-based residency in both countries and was conducted in collaboration with Baltic social work researchers to ensure contextual grounding. Guided by Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Ecological Systems Theory, and the Planned Change process, patterns were identified across micro, meso, exo, and macro layers.
Results: Three themes emerged: (1) Defining and assessing the best interests of the child as a multidimensional, situational process; (2) decision authority and exosystem hierarchies that constrain social workers’ discretion; and (3) persistent policy–practice gaps driven by resource shortages, fragmented coordination, and cultural norms. Comparative analysis revealed Lithuania’s centralized, algorithmic approach promotes uniformity but limits flexibility, while Latvia’s family-centered model prioritizes preservation but relies heavily on Orphans’ Courts.
Conclusions: Assessment in child protection is a practice-in-context phenomenon shaped by systemic structures and cultural attitudes. To make UNCRC Articles 3 and 12 actionable, reforms should institutionalize child participation, strengthen multi-agency coordination, and align decision-making with assessment evidence. Workforce investment and community-level advocacy are critical to narrowing policy–practice gaps.
