Describing more than 190 leading cases and including probing commentaries and recent statistics, this provocative book is a unique tool that shows how the American legal system affects children.

Child Rights and Remedies provides a comprehensive examination of how United States law and policy affects the lives and futures of children. This law school text covers a broad spectrum of major cases, statutes, and relevant empirical evidence that illustrate how children are faring in light of how our legal and political systems function. Uniquely among juvenile law texts, Child Rights and Remedies begins by delving into the underlying political context of available remedies for children, highlighting the special status of children - a status that does not always work to their advantage, particularly vis a vis special interests with far greater access to and influence over all branches of government. Within this context, the text explores the barriers to developing policy favorable to children with regard to poverty, education, health, special needs, child care, child abuse, juvenile delinquency, reproductive rights, custody and civil liberties. This updated edition also explores the timely issue of immigration and the rights of children, a politically charged area of law and policy deeply impacting vast numbers of children. In addition to the almost 200 legal references that cover major federal and influential state court decisions, the text contains probing questions and commentary designed to challenge the reader to consider diverse points of view and construct compelling legal arguments. Broad analysis of constitutional law and civil procedure complements the child-specific content, making Child Rights and Remedies a valuable tool for any student of the law. For those concerned about the well-being of children in this country and beyond, this text is an essential guide for powerfully advocating for their rights and representing their interests.

Child Rights and Remedies provides a comprehensive examination of how United States law and policy affects the lives and futures of children. This law school text covers a broad spectrum of major cases, statutes, and relevant empirical evidence that illustrate how children are faring in light of how our legal and political systems function. “Professor Robert C. Fellmeth, the master of child rights and remedies and the long-time maestro of child advocacy, presents his Magnum Opus to inform our intellects, challenge our consciences and galvanize our motivation on behalf of children who will either inherit our derelictions or our beneficent foresight. This book works as a very comprehensive recruiter for students and other citizens who wish to help build a society and culture that nurtures the young into fulfilling their life’s possibilities.” — Ralph Nader “Professor Jessica Heldman is a distinguished expert in children’s law and policy with years of experience working with advocacy organizations and state child welfare and juvenile justice systems to improve the treatment of children. Alongside Robert Fellmeth, Jessica Heldman provides a comprehensive treatise on children’s rights, including children as individuals, as a class, and as a political voice for reform. Professor Heldman’s scholarship and leadership will help advance children’s rights for years to come. This book is an essential read for all children’s advocates.” —Kim Dvorchak, JD, Executive Director, National Association of Counsel for Children

"Updated content will continue to be published as 'Living Reference Works'"--Publisher.

This book explores the meaning and implementation of international children’s rights law, as laid down in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and related international and regional human rights instruments. It considers the application of international children’s rights at the national level and addresses key procedural and institutional matters concerning children’s rights implementation, including monitoring, complaints mechanisms, effective remedies, advocacy and international agenda-setting. The book breaks new ground by analysing a wide range of international children’s rights issues from a legal perspective. It incorporates a comparative perspective on children’s rights law at the international, regional and domestic level and contains information on evidence-based strategies towards the implementation and enforcement of international children’s rights law. The book is targeted at academics, legal and other professionals, and advanced students. It analyses children’s rights law in the following areas: implementation and enforcement; advocacy and standard setting; complaints and remedies; the child and the family; adoption; alternative care; protection from violence; civil rights of the child; economic, social and cultural rights; education; health; migration and refugees; children and the justice system; children with disabilities; deprivation of liberty; children’s rights and digital technologies; war and disaster; sustainable development goals and further contemporary issues.

The book presents a comparative study of children’s constitutional rights in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The authors discuss the value of enshrining children’s rights in national constitutions in addition to implementing the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Central issues are whether enshrining children’s rights in the Constitution improves implementation and enforcement of those rights by providing advocacy tools and by mandating courts, legislators, policy-makers and practitioners to take children’s rights seriously. The study assesses whether the Nordic constitutions are in line with the child rights approach of the CRC both on a general level and in detail in three domains; the best interests of the child, participation rights, and the right to respect for family life.

This open access book critically explores what child protection policy and professional practice would mean if practice was grounded in human rights standards. This book inspires a new direction in child protection research – one that critically assesses child protection policy and professional practice with regard to human rights in general, and the rights of the child in particular. Each chapter author seeks to approach the rights of the child from their own academic field of interest and through a comparative lens, making the research relevant across nation-state practices. The book is split into five parts to focus on the most important aspects of child protection. The first part explains the origins, aim, and scope of the book; the second part explores aspects of professionalism and organization through law and policy; and the third part discusses several key issues in child protection and professional practice in depth. The fourth part discusses selected areas of importance to child protection practices (low-impact in-house measures, public care in residential care and foster care respectively) and the fifth part provides an analytical summary of the book. Overall, it contributes to the present need for a more comprehensive academic debate regarding the rights of the child, and the supranational perspective this brings to child protection policy and practice across and within nation-states. .