Vulnerable Children and the Law: International Evidence for Improving Child Welfare, Child Protection and Children's Rights

by Sheehan, Rosemary; Rhoades, Helen; Stanley, Nicky

• ISBN13: 9781849058681
• ISBN10: 1849058687
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-04-15
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub

Summary

This book takes an international perspective on child welfare, examining how global and national frameworks can be adapted to address the rights and best interests of children. Synthesising the latest international research, experts redefine the concept of a 'child in need' in a world where global movement is common and children are frequently involved in the law. The book considers children as citizens, as refugees, victims of trafficking, soldiers, or members of indigenous groups and identifies the political and cultural changes that need to take place in order to deliver rights for these children. Focusing in particular on child protection systems across nations, it identifies areas of child welfare and family law which systematically fail to look after the best interests of children, often through prejudice, outdated practice, or even the failure of agencies to work together.

Author Biography

Rosemary Sheehan is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work, Monash University, Australia, and holds the post of Dispute Resolution Convenor in the Children's Court of Victoria. Her published research has looked at child welfare and the law and mental health and offenders. Helen Rhoades is an Associate Professor in the Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne, Australia, where she teaches and researches in the areas of family law and dispute resolution. Nicky Stanley is Professor of Social Work at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. She researches and writes in the areas of child protection, domestic violence, young people's mental health and interprofessional work.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements	p. 9
Introduction	p. 11
Children and Citizenship
Children's Rights: The Effective Implementation of Rights-based Standards	p. 23
Child Protection in Humanitarian Emergencies	p. 41
Children in the Shadows: Child Trafficking in the UK	p. 59
Child Combatants and Peace Processes: Challenges of Inclusion and Exclusion	p. 75
Unaccompanied Children as Illegal Immigrants in the United States	p. 93
Children, Vulnerability and Rights: Protecting the Rights of Children in Custody in Northern Ireland	p. 109
Indigenous and Non-national Children and Vulnerability
The Victimisation of Indigenous Children	p. 127
Non-national Children and Vulnerability: The Child Protection Context	p. 145
Mana Tamariki, Takahi Tamariki - Maori Child Pride, Maori Child Abuse	p. 161
International Human Rights Law and the Needs of Indigenous Children	p. 181
Child Welfare and Family Identity
High Frequency Parental Contact for Infants in Care: Whose Rights are Being Served?	p. 201
Maternal Incest: Challenges for Child Protection	p. 219
Lost Identities: Denying Children their Family Identity	p. 235
Should Adoption Be an Option?	p. 251
Child Welfare and Legal Intervention
Child Protection and Family Law: The Australian? Experience	p. 269
The Police Role in Identifying and Responding to Children Experiencing Domestic Violence	p. 283
Relocation of Children in Family Law Disputes	p. 299
Working with Separated Families	p. 317
Deciding the Best Interests of the Child: Legal Responses to Child Protection Concerns	p. 333
Conclusion	p. 347
List Of Contributors	p. 355
Subject Index	p. 359
Authour Index	p. 364
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