SteR Lunch Lecture

Child participation in custody and contact proceedings is an ongoing topic of interest worldwide. There is discussion about the pros and cons of child participation in these, often contentious, proceedings, there is discussion about what participation entails and how to interpret article 12 CRC and there is discussion about how to involve very young children in such proceedings. The question is no longer whether but how we involve children in decision making that concerns them. In an ongoing multidisciplinary and comparative project that I am working on with my colleague prof. Declerk from Hasselt University in Belgium, we distinguish four phases in the participation of children in custody and contact proceedings: the phase prior to the hearing by the family court judge, the hearing by the family court judge, the phase after the hearing by the family court judge and the phase of aftercare. In this STER-lunch lecture I will focus on support for children during the child interview with the judge and will discuss the current state of affairs, challenges and compliance with international regulations and possible solutions.