This course offers an in-depth exploration of children’s rights under Irish and international frameworks, alongside practical child protection principles. Participants will examine the complex interplay between state, family, and the child in ensuring welfare and upholding rights.
Course Highlights:
Rights and Frameworks:
Understand children's rights enshrined in the Irish Constitution, domestic legislation, and international agreements such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Delve into children’s rights to family life, health care, education, identity, and procedural protections.
Explore topics like surrogacy, adoption, and child abduction in the context of legal and ethical considerations.
Types of Rights:
Survival Rights: Basics for existence, including nutrition, shelter, and medical services.
Development Rights: The right to education, play, cultural activities, and freedom of thought.
Protection Rights: Safeguards against abuse, exploitation, and neglect, with special provisions for vulnerable groups such as refugees or children in the justice system.
Participation Rights: Empowering children to voice their opinions and take part in societal activities.
Child Protection Practices:
Analyse the state’s obligations under the Child Care Act 1991 and Children First Act 2015.
Examine voluntary care, emergency removals, care proceedings, and residential care.
Investigate systemic issues, such as potential discrimination faced by marginalized groups in child protection cases.
Advocacy and Reform:
Engage with organizations like the Ombudsman for Children’s Office, UNICEF, and the Children’s Rights Alliance.
Debate legal reforms and propose actionable solutions to balance parental and children’s rights effectively.
This NFQ level 9 course equips learners to critically assess and influence child welfare policies, ensuring the best interests of children in diverse contexts.
Children’s Rights and Child Protection Rights under the Irish Constitution & Legislation; Nature of the Rights ;Specific rights of Children; Right to a Family; Proceedings, complaints and advocacy; Health and health care; Education; Children’s Rights under the European Convention of Human Rights; Right to a Fair Trial & Procedural Protections ;The Child's Right to Identity and Assisted Human Reproduction (including surrogacy); The European Union & Charter of Fundamental Rights; The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; Best interests of the child, non discrimination;right of the child to be heard. Substantive rights, including: Survival rights, the child’s right to life and the needs that are most basic to existence, such as nutrition, shelter, an adequate living standard, and access to medical services. Development rights the right to education, play, leisure, cultural activities, access to information, and freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Protection rights Ensuring children are safeguarded against all forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation, including special care for refugee children; safeguards for children in the criminal justice system; protection for children in employment; protection and rehabilitation for children who have suffered exploitation or abuse of any kind. Participation rights; the right to express opinions, to have a say in matters affecting their own lives, to join associations and to assemble peacefully. As their abilities develop, children are to have increasing opportunities to participate in the activities of their society, in preparation for responsible adulthood;Adoption;Child Abduction. Advocates for Children’s Rights ;The Ombudsman for Children’s Office; Children’s Rights Alliance; UNICEF. Role and Duty of the Child and Family Agency/Tusla under the Child Care Act 1991,as amended. Children First Act 2015. Right to Protection & the State’s obligation to protect children; Voluntary care; Removal of child to safety by member of An Garda Siochana;Care Proceedings; Detaining children for their own safety; Children in need of special care and protection . Children’s Residential Centres;Children in care- contact and reunification; Adoption from care; Constitutional Rights of the child/parents/family. Consider if a disproportionate number of parents whose children are taken into care ‘belong to’ groups that experience discrimination related to grounds such as socio-economic status, disability, race, gender and civil status. Consider the inherent difficulty of balancing parent’s rights and children’s rights in Public Law matters.
All applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Lifelong Learning reserves the right to require applicants to attend for an interview to determine their suitability for the programme
This module is part of our Master of Arts in Child, Youth, and Family Studies programme. Successfully completing this course will count toward earning this prestigious major award.
