Following the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998, awareness has increased that we live in a rights-based culture and that children constitute an important group of rights holders. Now in its third edition, Children's Rights and the Developing Law explores the way developing law and policies in England and Wales are simultaneously promoting and undermining the rights of children. It reflects on how far these developments take account of children's interests, using current research on children's needs as a template against which to assess their effectiveness and considering a broad range of topics, including medical law, education and youth justice. A critical approach is maintained throughout, particularly when assessing the extent to which the concept of children's rights is being acknowledged by the courts and policy makers and the degree to which the UK fulfils its obligations under, for example, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

'At page 459 Fortin states that 'this work seeks to show the sceptic how a rights based approach can be translated into workable policies and legal principles and also that a conscientious attempt to apply these is better than guesswork and intuition.' This indeed is a very laudable aim and in summary, this work of detailed academic and practical fortitude does exactly that … in plenty.'

Source: Family Law