Children & The Law
Explore the legal system from a child's perspective, including age-related legal responsibilities, criminal accountability, and how the youth justice system works.
Changing a Child's Surname
Changing a child's surname is a common cause of conflict between parents, especially if they are separated, newly married to another partner or were not marr...
Child Abduction and Parental Rights
Taking a child out of a country without the proper legal consent is known as child abduction. This is the case whether a child is taken out of the UK or sent...
Child Carers: Their Rights Under the Law
It is estimated that for every five people in Britain, three will at some point during their lives operate a caring role for another person. Often, if one or...
Child Court Witnesses
If your child is going to be a witness in a court case, there are certain things that you can do as a parent to reassure them. You can tell them that they ar...
Combating Underage Drinking
Underage drinking has become an increasing problem in the UK in the last decade, with more than a third of 11 to 15 year olds admitting to drinking regularly...
Community Sentences For Young People
Many people consider sentencing an individual after they have committed a crime to mean that they will be sent to prison in order to be punished for their cr...
Curfew Notices for Children
In certain circumstances, especially those relating to anti-social behaviour, your local council, in conjunction with the police, may issue Curfew Notices. A...
Dealing with Child Crime
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a child can be held accountable for a criminal offence from the age of 10. In Scotland, however, the age is currently...
Employing a Child
Children under the age of 13 cannot be paid for work unless it relates to sport, television, theatre, modelling or similar activities where a child is paid f...
Gambling Laws Concerning Children
Statistically, 1 in 10 children are addicted to gambling. This could be as a result of playing games such as online poker or using arcade slot machines. Any...
How Cafcass Officers Help Children
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) is a public body that primarily is charged with looking after the welfare of children wh...
Leaving Your Children Home Alone
There is no fixed age at which a child is deemed ‘safe’ to be left at home alone. Rather than specifying an age, the law says that a parent commits an of...
Medical Treatment for Young People
If your child is about to undergo medical treatment, you may want to know what your child’s rights are and what your rights are as a parent or guardian. In...
Minors And Contracts
We enter into contracts on a daily basis without even realising it, such as when we purchase a bar of chocolate from a machine. There are, however, some bad...
Registering The Birth of a Child
In England and Wales, a new baby must be registered within 42 days of its birth. This is usually carried out at your local registry office, although in some...
School Admissions and the Law
Parents have the right to be able to express a preference for a particular school that they would like their child to attend. It should be noted, however, th...
School Exclusions and the Law
If your child has been excluded from school, you are likely to have numerous questions about where this leaves the future of your child’s education. School...
Selling Alcohol and Tobacco to Children
Sadly, many young people experiment with alcohol, tobacco and perhaps even illegal drugs at some point. Although the UK government has tightened legislation...
Selling Dangerous Substances
As many of us are already aware, it is illegal to sell so-called dangerous substances to minors. Unfortunately, there are still a number of shopkeepers withi...
Smacking Your Children
You may already know that it is illegal for a teacher to smack your child. But a change in the law will mean that they are able to use 'reasonable force' to...
Specific Issue Orders for Parents
Specific Issue Orders are orders that parents pursue from the family proceedings court to resolve a matter in connection with the exercise of Parental Respon...
What 'In Loco Parentis' Means to You
You may have heard the phrase ‘in loco parentis’ many times before, but did you know that it actually has legal significance when it comes to looking aft...
What is a Young Offender?
A young offender is a child between the age of 12-17 who has committed a crime and has been placed in the care of a Young Offenders' Institution (YOI). A cus...