Unit name | Children and Young People in the Law A |
---|---|
Unit code | SPOL30057 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Mulvihill |
Open unit status | Open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School for Policy Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This a third year optional unit that tackles some of the key challenges and tensions within the English legal system for children and young people. Within an overall framework of children’s rights, this unit explores children and young people’s status within the English legal system and questions how - and why - children may be viewed as dependent or autonomous, vulnerable or unruly, and how these conceptualisations may conflict within the law. A wide range of topics are used to analyse the tensions inherent within children’s participation in legal situations, including children and young people as witnesses and defendants in criminal proceedings; as subjects of medical intervention; as refugees and asylum seekers; as parties to parental divorce and separation; or involved in adoption, fostering and child protection proceedings. Discussions will focus on the potential discrepancies between enabling children’s autonomy and ensuring their best interests are paramount in legal decisions, and how these competing, and sometimes contradictory, aims can be reconciled. The law is ‘alive’ and ever-changing; students are encouraged to research current cases, as reported in the media and in law reports, which are then discussed in seminars. The formative assessment is a written essay, designed to ensure you have a firm knowledge-base and thorough understanding of the law in preparation for the summative assessment.
The objectives of the unit are to develop students’ awareness and knowledge of:
Students who successfully complete this unit will have:
Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, student presentations and guided individual study.
Formative assessment by an essay maximum 2000 words.
Summative assessment:
3000 word essay
• Fionda, J. (ed) (2001) Legal Concepts of Childhood. Oxford: Hart Publishing
• Piper C (2008) Investing in Children: Policy, law and practice in context, Cullompton: Willan
• Darbyshire, P. (2014) Darbyshire on the English Legal System, (11th ed), London: Sweet and Maxwell
• Herring, J (2015) Family Law, (7th ed) Harlow: Longmans
• Jones P and Welch S (2010) Rethinking Children’s Rights: Attitudes in Contemporary Society, London: Continuum
• Slapper G (2016) How the Law Works, (4th ed) London: Routledge