Subjects with agency? Children's participation in family law proceedings

Galvanised by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, many jurisdictions now recognise children's rights to participate in decisions that affect them. While such legal rights have increased, research on family law proceedings shows how children's views can still be undermined, ignore...

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Published inThe Journal of social welfare & family law Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 362 - 379
Main Author Tisdall, E. Kay M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 01.10.2016
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Autonomy
Childhood
Children
children's rights
Childrens rights
Courts
Decision making
Family law
Legal system
manipulation
Participation
Rationality
Rights
views
Welfare
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN0964-9069
1469-9621
DOI10.1080/09649069.2016.1239345

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Abstract Galvanised by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, many jurisdictions now recognise children's rights to participate in decisions that affect them. While such legal rights have increased, research on family law proceedings shows how children's views can still be undermined, ignored or not even sought in decisions about them. This article uses the academic resources of childhood studies, to consider dominant and alternative narratives of children's participation within Scottish family law. Drawing upon reported case law and empirical research, the article concludes that children's participation gains protection by being institutionalised but children's participation is attenuated because it is not recognised as relational and contextual. As rationality, consistency and autonomy are privileged, the weight given to children's views is lessened by concerns about children being manipulated or distressed. Courts and their decisions may be child-focused, centring on children's welfare, but they are not child-inclusive, involving children in decision-making.
AbstractList Galvanised by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, many jurisdictions now recognise children's rights to participate in decisions that affect them. While such legal rights have increased, research on family law proceedings shows how children's views can still be undermined, ignored or not even sought in decisions about them. This article uses the academic resources of childhood studies, to consider dominant and alternative narratives of children's participation within Scottish family law. Drawing upon reported case law and empirical research, the article concludes that children's participation gains protection by being institutionalised but children's participation is attenuated because it is not recognised as relational and contextual. As rationality, consistency and autonomy are privileged, the weight given to children's views is lessened by concerns about children being manipulated or distressed. Courts and their decisions may be child-focused, centring on children's welfare, but they are not child-inclusive, involving children in decision-making.
Author Tisdall, E. Kay M.
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  organization: Professor of Childhood Policy and Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, University of Edinburgh
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Snippet Galvanised by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, many jurisdictions now recognise children's rights to participate in decisions that affect them....
Galvanised by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, many jurisdictions now recognise children’s rights to participate in decisions that affect them....
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SubjectTerms Autonomy
Childhood
Children
children's rights
Childrens rights
Courts
Decision making
Family law
Legal system
manipulation
Participation
Rationality
Rights
views
Welfare
Title Subjects with agency? Children's participation in family law proceedings
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