Kerry O'Halloran - a professionally qualified lawyer, social worker and academic - has recently retired from 13 years as Adjunct Professor to the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at QUT, Brisbane. In Northern Ireland he served on the Social Care Tribunal and on a HSS Trust Adoption Panel, has advised the Irish government on law reform matters, and has served in a consultancy capacity to government bodies such as Courts Services (Northern Ireland) and to the Open University in England. Previously employed as Assistant Director (Research) at the Centre for Voluntary Action, University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, his 30 books and many other publications, include The Politics of Adoption, 4th ed (Springer, 2021), Adoption Law and Human Rights: International Perspectives (Routledge, 2018), Religion, Charity and Human Rights (CUP, 2014)and Child Care and Protection: the Law & Practice in Northern Ireland (Thompson Reuters, 2003).

Dedication

Preface

Introduction

Part I

The Legal Origins of the Child Welfare Principle in E&W

Chap 1 State Recognition of Child Welfare: Feudalism; the Common Law; and

the Poor Laws

Chap 2 Judicial Acknowledgement of Guardianship Duties

Chap 3 Legislative Endorsement of Child Welfare

Part II

The Content & Role of the Welfare Principle

Chap 4 Welfare Interests and the Child

Chap 5 Identifying Welfare Interests

Chap 6 Representing Welfare Interests

Chap 7 The Legal System and Welfare Interests

Part III

Applying the Child Welfare Principle in the Late 20th Century: Public & Private Family Law

Chap 8 Public Family Law: Prevention, Protection, Care and Control

Chap 9 Private Family Law: Contested and Uncontested Proceedings

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index