Law in Context: Children's Rights and the Developing Law

Following the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998, awareness has increased that we live in a rights-based culture and that children constitute an important group of rights holders. Now in its third edition, Children's Rights and the Developing Law explores the way developing law and policies in England and Wales are simultaneously promoting and undermining the rights of children. It reflects on how far these developments take account of children's interests, using current research on children's needs as a template against which to assess their effectiveness and considering a broad range of topics, including medical law, education and youth justice. A critical approach is maintained throughout, particularly when assessing the extent to which the concept of children's rights is being acknowledged by the courts and policy makers and the degree to which the UK fulfils its obligations under, for example, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Part I. Theoretical Perspectives and International Sources: 1. Theoretical perspectives; 2. International children's rights; Part II. Promoting Consultation and Decision-Making: 3. Adolescent autonomy and parents; 4. Leaving home, rights to support and emancipation; 5. Adolescent decision-making and health care; 6. Promoting consultation and decision-making in schools; 7. Children's involvement in family proceedings - rights to representation; 8. Children in court - their welfare, wishes and feelings; Part III. Children's Rights and Parents' Powers: 9. Children's rights versus family privacy - physical punishment and financial support; 10. Parents' decisions and children's health rights; 11. Educational rights for children in minority groups; 12. Educational rights for children with disabilities; 13. Children's right to know their parents - the significance of the blood tie; 14. Children's right to know and be brought up by their parents; 15. An abused child's right to state protection; 16. Right to protection in state care and to state accountability; 17. The right of abused children to protection by the criminal law; 18. Protecting the rights of young offenders; 19. Conclusion - themes and the way ahead; Appendix I: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; Appendix II: Human Rights Act 1998.