This article will examine how child protection procedures and practices can promote the rights of children to have their voices heard effectively within the child protection system in England and Wales. New domestic legal requirements concerning the extent and nature of the participation of young people in child protection decision-making processes are presented and analysed. The status of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the effects of the Human Rights Act 1998 for all agencies involved in child protection work are discussed. Suggestions for regulation and monitoring of policies and practices that can empower children to participate more fully in child protection processes that comply with the UNCRC and the Human Rights Act are presented. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.