ABSTRACT
As the world celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), countries were able to reflect on how their laws supported the rights enumerated in the CRC. Even the United States, although it has not ratified the CRC, can improve court proceedings concerning children by examining the CRC’s principles and other countries’ efforts to comply with the CRC. This chapter specifically examines the lack of children’s voices and participation in US family courts.
The chapter examines the harm done to a child in custody and visitation proceedings when her voice was not heard and what methods can be instituted to encourage child participation. The authors provide a framework for an inter-professional collaboration to assist children in having a voice in family court. This collaboration provides an instrument to insure the child’s active participation in the process. The authors believe that ensuring children’s participation and voice in the proceedings is the best model to guarantee the well-being of children and families.
