Delight and Dole: The Children Act 10 Years On

Delight and Dole: The Children Act 10 Years On is a critical appraisal of the first ten years of the Children Act and is edited by the Rt Hon Lord Justice Thorpe and Catherine Cowton. The 18 highly influential contributors including Rt Hon Lady Justice Hale, the Hon Mr Justice Wall, Amanda Finlay of the Lord Chancellor's Department and Anthony Hewson, Chairman of CAFCASS, assess the effectiveness of the Act and highlight current and future problem areas. Delight and Dole: The Children Act 10 Years On is the outcome of the President of the Family Division's Fourth interdisciplinary conference held at Dartington Hall in September 2001.

PLENARY ONE Delay and the Challenges of the Children Act Amanda Finlay PLENARY TWO Children's Rights and the Impact of Two International Conventions: The UNCR and the ECHR Jane Fortin Interface of Children Involved in Criminal Matters Vulnerable and a Risk to Others - The Double Challenge Dr Susan Bailey Troubled Children and Criminal Justice His Honour Judge Mark Hedley When Young People Refuse Treatment: Balancing Autonomy and Protection Dr Mike Shaw PLENARY THREE Adoption James Paton A Study of Care Plans and their Implementation and Relevance for Re W and B and Re W (Care Plan) Professor Judith Harwin and Morag Owen PLENARY FOUR Expert Evidence 10 Years after the Implementation of the Children Act 1989: Where are We? The Hon Mr Justice Wall ADSS Position Statement Expert Reporting in Public Law Cases Dilemmas of the Corporate Parent Chris Davies Expert Witnesses Pat Monro The Use of Expert Witnesses; Useful or Useless? Jenny Stevenson and Dr Arlene Vetere PLENARY FIVE The Skill of Representing Children at a Time of Chaos Vivienne Reed Children, Safety and Parental Contact in Private Law Proceedings Rukhsana Farooqi Thakrar Speech by Chairman of CAFCASS Anthony P M. Hewson President's Response PLENARY SIX International Adoption Professor Carolyn Hamilton PLENARY SEVEN Feedback from Small Groups and Discussions Resolution on the Adoption and Children Bill PROSPECTIVE The Way Forward The Rt Hon Lady Justice Hale Concluding Comments The Rt Hon Lord Justice Thorpe