The Capability Approach as a Normative Foundation for Social Work with Socially Disadvantaged Children and Youth

The capability approach, shaped by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, offers an innovative normative framework for social work with disadvantaged children and adolescents. Unlike purely resource- or income-oriented approaches, it asks what real opportunities young people have to lead the lives that they value. At its core is the question of how these young individuals can develop their talents, build relationships, and participate in community and culture. The potential of the capability approach becomes particularly evident in social problem contexts often characterized by poverty, educational disadvantages, or discrimination. It emphasizes the importance of freedoms, self-determination, and agency, viewing children not merely as in need of assistance but as active agents in shaping their own lives. For social work practice, this opens up new possibilities for designing interventions in a participatory manner, ensuring that children’s needs and values are taken into account. Instead of standardized solutions, individualized and context-sensitive strategies are promoted. This approach also calls for a multilateral perspective: beyond individual casework, societal and institutional structures must be addressed. Only by removing barriers in areas such as education, health, and housing can real opportunities be created. At the same time, the concept aligns well with children’s rights work, trauma-sensitive approaches, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Although operationalizing the approach is complex, a capability-oriented perspective allows for a comprehensive assessment of children’s living conditions. In this way, social work can increasingly focus on strengthening agency and recognizing young people as subjects of their own becoming.