Child Protection

Abstract

This chapter analyses the obligations placed on domestic authorities in the field of child protection. It starts by examining the way in which the Court has attempted to balance the rights of parents and children in this area, and in particular, the place of the ‘best interests’ principle in the Court’s jurisprudence. The chapter then goes on to consider the substantive rights in this area, including emergency measures, the removal of the child from the family, and their placement in alternative care, before examining the extensive procedural rights for parents and children under Articles 6 and 8. Finally, it details the jurisprudence of the Court concerning family reunification and the positive obligations placed on states to facilitate this.