Childwatch Survey on Children and Family Law

The Childwatch International Thematic Group on Children and the Law has been established to explore how children’s rights are respected in law across different countries. In 2005, the Study Group identified children’s participation rights in family law systems as an internationally relevant area of children’s rights that requires further critical examination. In Phase One of the project, a questionnaire on children’s participation in family law proceedings was distributed to all Childwatch Key Institutions which resulted in a research report being produced in 2007. A first meeting of the study group was then held in Prague in September 2008. At this meeting, it was agreed to focus Phase Two of the study on a comparative international study of the models of children’s participation in family law processes related to post-separation care arrangements.

We encourage all Key Institutions to contribute to the study by submitting the completed questionnaire to the group by 31 July 2009. The group members are also interested in increasing the participation og Key Institution representatives in the research group. I currently consists of researchers from New Zealand, Australia, Czech Republic, India and Israel. Please contact coordinator Nicola Taylor (nicola.taylor [at] otago.ac.nz) or Anne Graham (agraham [at] scu.edu.au) for more information.

To download the questionnaire and for more information about the study group and the survery, please see the Children and the Law Thematic Group web page.