BLOG: When the Scottish Government attempted to take proactive child protection to a new level, it faced considerable – and, ultimately, effective – opposition. Blogpost by Elaine E. Sutherland, Professor II at the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, Professor Emerita at the University of Stirling, Scotland, and Distinguished Professor Emerita at Lewis & […]

        BLOG: It is time for schools and social care facilities to elicit the voices of all children systematically and continuously. Blogpost by Rami Benbenishty, Professor Emeritus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (ramibenben@gmail.com). The Corona crisis demonstrated how children were not part of the public health decision making and discourse. In a time […]

BLOG: Service provisions to vulnerable families with babies. Blogpost by Marit Skivenes, Research leader for the Child Right Unit at LawTransform, Director of Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism, and a Professor in Political Science at the University of Bergen. Governments have a responsibility to provide necessary support for vulnerable families, and the Nordic welfare […]

BLOG: When a state decides to deport a child, this decision needs to take the child’s rights and their best interests into account. Children and young people are at the centre of strained relationships between New Zealand and Australia at the moment. In February, Australia denied entry to a New Zealand born mother and her two children […]

BLOG: The role of emotions in child protection are understudied and underemphasized. Blogpost by Tarja Pösö, Professor of Social Work at Tampere University (Finland), Professor II at the DIPA-centre at UiB and member of the Child Right Unit at LawTransform. Finnish TV has recently broadcasted the Danish drama Ulven kommer (‘The Wolf is coming’ or ‘Cry Wolf’ in English) […]

BLOG: What can child welfare research teach us about saving democracy? Blogpost by Katrin Kriz, Professor of Sociology at Emmanuel College (US) and member of the Child Right Unit at LawTransform. The violent attack on the United States Capitol on January 6 this year by extremist insurgents demonstrated how fragile democracy is. According to the dictionary […]

NEW ARTICLE: Study of services and support for mothers and newborn babies in vulnerable situations in eight European jurisdictions. European countries have a legal obligation to provide services to vulnerable families, and children should not be removed from their parents’ care unless no other viable measures are available. In an article published in Children and […]

NEW ARTICLE: Study of population attitudes towards corporal punishment in five European countries. A global consensus that violence against children challenges children’s fundamental human rights appears to be expanding, with more and more countries reforming their laws to ban physical punishment of children in all settings. The use of corporal punishment (CP) to discipline children […]

NEW ARTICLE: Decision-makers exercise of discretion in decisions on adoption from care. Termination of parental rights and adoption from care are intrusive child protection interventions. Such decisions have far-reaching implications and are by many considered controversial. All European countries have legal mechanisms that allow for adoption without parental consent, but there is scarce knowledge on […]

BLOG: Voices in the US are advocating to abolish child welfare. This is a dangerous and irresponsible suggestion. Blogpost by Jill D. Berrick, Professor II at the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism and Professor at UC Berkeley. Calls to address longstanding racial injustice in the U.S. came to a fevered pitch in May, 2020, […]