Children, the Law and the Welfare Principle

Kerry O’Halloran – a professionally qualified lawyer, social worker and academic – has recently retired from 13 years as an adjunct professor at the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at QUT, Brisbane. In Northern Ireland, he served on the Social Care Tribunal and on an HSS Trust adoption panel, has advised the Irish government on law reform matters, and has served in a consultancy capacity on government bodies such as Courts Services (Northern Ireland) and to the Open University in England. Previously employed as Assistant Director (Research) at the Centre for Voluntary Action, University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, his 30 books and many other publications include Conscientious Objection (Springer, 2022), The Politics of Adoption, 4th ed. (Springer, 2021), Adoption Law and Human Rights: International Perspectives (Routledge, 2018), Religion, Charity and Human Rights (CUP, 2014) and Child Care and Protection: The Law & Practice in Northern Ireland (Thomson Reuters, 2003).

• DedicationAcknowledgments Introduction Part IBackground Chap 1 Concepts, Constructs & Cultural Context Part IIUnited States of AmericaChap 2 Policy, principles, legislation and courts Chap 3 The welfare principle in contemporary practice: public family law; civiland criminal jurisdictionsChap 4 The welfare principle in contemporary practice: private family law and hybrid proceedingsPart IIICanadaChap 5 Policy, principles, legislation and courtsChap 6 The welfare principle in contemporary practice: public family law; civiland criminal jurisdictionsChap 7 The welfare principle in contemporary practice: private family law and hybrid proceedingsPart IVThe Indigenous Children of North AmericaChap 8 Americans/Indians and the First Nations/Inuit Part VThemes of Commonality and DifferenceChap 9 Themes and a comparative jurisdictional analysisConclusion Select Bibliography Index