Infant removal and the lack of representation for parents

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 215-221
Author(s):  
Celine Harrison ◽  
Carol Bahemia ◽  
Debbie Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Due Process ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Legal Aid ◽  
Birth Parents ◽  
Legal Proceedings ◽  
Permanent Loss ◽  
Productivity Commission

AbstractThis paper throws a spotlight on the systemic disadvantage experienced by parents who have their children removed from their care. With data drawn from the annual reports of the Legal Aid of Western Australia, the child protection agency in Western Australia, and the Productivity Commission, the authors illustrate the disconnection between the agency’s policy to reunify children once removed from their birth parents; the resources made available to support families to overcome their difficulties; and how the gap is further widened when parents without financial means and who are disempowered face legal proceedings on their own. We profile the increasing numbers of infants who are removed, the decreasing numbers of these infants who are discharged from care, and the shortfall of grants of legal aid that are provided to parents when they go to court. For this group of parents, permanent loss of their children is a reality. The aim of the paper is to capture the extent to which there is a fundamental blemish on the principles of due process and fairness, and once statutory processes are triggered, the best interests of the child and the support of parents are contingent, with poverty being the key mediating factor.

scholarly journals Do Parents Know Best?

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-631
Author(s):  
John Eekelaar
Keyword(s):  
Public Expenditure ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Legal Aid ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
The Law ◽  
Court Involvement ◽  
Best Interests Standard ◽  
Article 5 ◽  
Children's Interests

Abstract While Article 5 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires states to respect parents’ responsibilities to provide ‘appropriate’ direction and guidance to their children, Article 18 also proclaims that ‘the best interests of the child will be [the parents’] basic concern’. But how can this be done if, as is widely accepted, the “best interests” standard is too indeterminate safely to allow courts to substitute their assessment of children’s interests for those of a child’s parents? This reason for privatising such decisions has been reinforced by concerns over the extent of public expenditure on court involvement in and legal aid for such issues, with the possible result of withdrawal of the law from this process. This article argues that there are inherent risks in leaving the arrangements for children of separating parents entirely in the hands of the parents, and considers various ways in which such risks might be reduced.

Legal Aid for Children: Some Reflections

1979 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 29-32
Author(s):  
Brian Lucas
Keyword(s):  
United States Of America ◽  
Due Process ◽  
Juvenile Court ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fourteenth Amendment ◽  
Court System ◽  
Bill Of Rights ◽  
Legal Aid ◽  
Legal Representation ◽  
The Supreme Court

In its Second Main Report, Law and Poverty in Australia, the Commission of Inquiry into Poverty expressed the view that “legal representation for children appearing before the children's court, whether in the criminal or protective jurisdiction, is necessary if justice is to be done.”This view coincides with the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States of America in In re Gault. It has been said that this decision “unleashed a frontal assault on the juvenile court system.” It confirmed that juveniles were entitled to “due process” and the same protection which the Fourteenth Amendment and the Bill of Rights afforded to adults.

The Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Birth Parents in Child Protection Services: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483802110484
Author(s):  
Aino Suomi ◽  
Annalese Bolton ◽  
Dave Pasalich
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Birth Parents ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Post Traumatic

Background Birth parents of children in the statutory child protection system have disproportionally high rates of trauma exposure and mental health problems, however, little is known about the extent to which this population display symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD. This study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the PTSD rates in parent samples involved in the child protection services. Method Articles were identified by searching PSYCINFO, Medline, CINAHL, and PILOTS. The search included terminology pertaining to parents, trauma, and child protective services and we included all peer-reviewed articles that reported a valid measure of PTSD and child protection service involvement. Results Fifteen studies were included in the review with a combined prevalence estimate for PTSD based on 11 studies ( n = 4871) was 26.0% (95% CI 20.0–32.0%) for mothers, and estimate based on three studies ( n = 2606) was 13.0% (95% CI 7.0%–18.0%) for fathers and 23.0% (95% CI 17.0–29.0) for all parents based on 7848 responses. Four studies that did not report prevalence rates, reported sample mean scores for PTSD that were consistently higher than in general population. Factors associated with parents’ PTSD symptoms included mental health co-morbidities, victimization of physical and sexual violence, and perpetration of child abuse. Conclusion There are high rates of PTSD in parents involved in the protective system, thus more targeted efforts are needed to identify and adequately address trauma symptoms of parents as part of child protection interventions.

scholarly journals Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Anak Sebagai Perantara Narkotika (Study Putusan No.14/Pid.Sus Anak.2015/PN.Dps)

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-199
Author(s):  
Rezky Ayu Saraswati ◽  
I Nyoman Sujana ◽  
Diah Gayatri Sudibya
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Juvenile Justice System ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
District Court ◽  
Criminal Sanctions ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Moment

The rise of drug trafficking involving children as narcotics couriers is a problem that needs serious attention from both the government, law enforcement and the community. Children who commit crimes must continue to obtain legal protection in the best interests of the child. Child protection is contained in Law number 11 of 2012 concerning the juvenile justice system, where at the moment children can become narcotics abuse even as narcotics brokers with the rampant abuse of narcotics for all circles both in Indonesia and in the international world. The formulation of the problem raised is how is the basis for judges' consideration in imposing criminal sanctions on children as intermediaries for narcotics? And what is the legal protection of children as an intermediary for narcotics? The problems to be discussed will be examined based on normative perspectives and the legislative approach to the decisions of the Denpasar District Court No. 14 / Pid.Sus Anak / 2015 / PN. Dps, that the judge considers that the accused child has committed narcotics crimes by being charged Law number 35 of 2009 concerning narcotics, which can be sentenced to a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years and can be subject to fines. Legal protection for children is carried out by judges by imposing criminal training on employment in a generation of Indonesian foundations, solely so that children can carry out their activities as usual when they return to the community and do not disturb their psychic rights and can increase their skills in children. The child does not return to committing a crime.

scholarly journals Hukum Waris terhadap Anak Adopsi dalam Perspektif Islam

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-106
Author(s):  
Muhammad Lutfi Syarifuddin
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Islamic Law ◽  
Adoptive Parents ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Inheritance Law ◽  
Law System ◽  
Biological Parents ◽  
The Family

In practice, in Indonesia children adoption has become a public phenomenon in society and is part of the family law system because it involves individual interests in the family. In the case of adoption, parents need to pay attention to the best interests of the child and be implemented based on local customs, applicable laws and regulations, this has been regulated in Article 39 of the Child Protection Act. Adoption of children is divided into two types, namely adoption of children between Indonesian citizens (domestic adoption) and adoption of Indonesian citizens by foreign citizens (adoption between countries). Appointment of children must be done by legal process, through the establishment or decision of the Court. The research method is normative juridical research. Based on the research results, the inheritance Indonesian citizens rights in the Indonesian inheritance law case are implemented based on Islamic law, adopted children do not inherit from adoptive parents and remain the biological parents. Under customary law, the inheritance of adopted children depends on customary law in the area. By law adoption children do not inherit from adoptive parents, and adopted children remain the heirs of their biological parents.

Child Protection

2020 ◽  
pp. 304-351
Author(s):  
Claire Fenton-Glynn
Keyword(s):  
Child Protection ◽  
Family Reunification ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Alternative Care ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
The Family ◽  
Procedural Rights ◽  
Emergency Measures ◽  
The Way

This chapter analyses the obligations placed on domestic authorities in the field of child protection. It starts by examining the way in which the Court has attempted to balance the rights of parents and children in this area, and in particular, the place of the ‘best interests’ principle in the Court’s jurisprudence. The chapter then goes on to consider the substantive rights in this area, including emergency measures, the removal of the child from the family, and their placement in alternative care, before examining the extensive procedural rights for parents and children under Articles 6 and 8. Finally, it details the jurisprudence of the Court concerning family reunification and the positive obligations placed on states to facilitate this.

7. Fees

Legal Ethics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Herring
Keyword(s):  
Legal Aid ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
Legal Proceedings ◽  
Legal Costs ◽  
Legal Fees

This chapter focuses on legal fees. It discusses the ways in which lawyers charge fees and the different ways of funding legal costs. It goes on to consider the ethical aspects of fees. The chapter covers conditional fee arrangements (CFAs) and speculative fees, legal expense insurance, hourly fees, and legal proceedings to recover fees. It also discusses legal aid.

Compromising Justice: Why the Bush Administration and the NGOs Are Both Wrong about the ICC

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth A. Rodman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Rome Statute ◽  
Due Process ◽  
Bush Administration ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Legal Proceedings

The critics of the ICC in the Bush administration and its supporters within the human rights community have one thing in common: they assume that the ICC can evolve into a powerful institution independent of states, either to constrain American power or to act on a duty to prosecute to end impunity for perpetrators. Both overestimate the ability of the court to pursue a legalism divorced from power realities. The former attribute to the court powers it is unlikely to exercise, particularly if the United States remains outside the treaty. This is due, in part, to the safeguards within the Rome Statute, but more importantly, to the court's dependence on sovereign cooperation, which will lead it to place a high premium on cultivating the good will of the most powerful states. The latter overestimate the degree to which courts by themselves can deter atrocities. The ICC's effectiveness in any particular case will therefore be dependent on the political consensus of those actors capable of wielding power in that area. They also underestimate the need to compromise justice – at least, prosecutorial justice – in cases in which bargaining and compromise are the central means of facilitating transitions from armed conflict or dictatorship, and in cases in which the strength of the perpetrators and the limits of one's power would make legal proceedings either futile or counterproductive to other interests and values. Hence, decisions to prosecute must first be subjected to a test of political prudence, and then take place according to due process and the rule of law.

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