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LAW37690

Academic Year 2021/2022

Children, State Protection & the Law (LAW37690)

Subject:
Law
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Law
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Maebh Harding
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module critically examines the history of child protection in Ireland including the use of large scale institutions. This module examines the circumstances in which the state may intervene in family life to protect children from harm. This raises profound questions about the relationships between the child, the parent, and the state and justification for state intervention. The module also explores issues surrounding care for children outside of their birth family. The module will engage with the need for inquiries into historic abuses in institutional care such as the inquiry into the state's role in Mother and Baby Homes. The module will also examine the current legal framework for state intervention into the family.

1. Theoretical approaches to child protection - the duty of the state.
2. Historical perspectives on Irish child protection law.
3. State inquiries on abuses in institutional care.
4. Current Legal Framework for state intervention into the family.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students will:
1. Demonstrate a comprehensive and precise understanding of modern child protection law in Ireland.
2. Understand the social, political, economic and religious context in which Irish child protection law developed.
3. Critically analyse the adequacy of Irish child protection law in protecting the rights of children.
4. Evaluate the changing understanding of childhood in Irish law.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

101
Lectures

24
Total

125

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module takes a ‘law in context’ approach which means that instead of looking at statutes and case law in isolation, we will be examining the theoretical, historical and social context in which Irish child protection law has developed and currently functions. We will consider how Irish child protection issues are understood in Irish society and how they shape our understanding of children and childhood.

The module will be made up of 11 learning sessions. In early sessions, students will be set a piece of pre-reading each week to ‘set the scene’ for issues we are going to explore. This might be a podcast, newspaper article, journal article or empirical report.

In later sessions, students will be invited to introduce an issue relating to child protection law (perhaps a case, a report or an abuse scandal) and present that issue in a clear, accessible and balanced way.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Recommendations:

In order to get the most out of this module, students are recommended to take LAW30450 Family and Child Law but this is not mandatory.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Group Project: Students will be required to write an accessible, accurate and balanced blog post about a controversial issue in Irish child protection law. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No
25
 No
Essay: Students will be required to complete an individual essay of 3000 words. Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No
75
 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

For the group work assessment, students will present the issue in a seminar and receive formative feedback on their clarity of presentation. The presentation of the issue will not be assessed, only the final blog post. Students will receive group feedback post-assessment. For the individual essay assessment, student will be invited to submit an essay plan for formative feedback during the module. This is not mandatory. Students will be provided with individual feedback on their essays post assessment. Generic feedback on the performance of the cohort as a whole will also be provided to the students post-assessment.

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