The Concept of the Best Interests of the Child and Its Application in the English Courts-An Examination of Selected English Residence Orders, 1992-2000

從英國1992-2000年居所裁定檢視“兒童最佳利益”概念之適用

10.6171/ntuswr2003.08.02

賴月蜜(Emily Yueh-Mi Lai)

兒童最佳利益 ； 兒童的意願與想法 ； 居所裁定 ； 監護權 ； 兒童權利 ； 父母的責任義務 ； the best interests of the child ； the child's wishes and feelings ； residence order ； custody ； children's right ； parental responsibility

臺大社會工作學刊

8期（2003 / 12 / 01）

47 - 90

英文

本研究以英國三十個居所裁定為據，分析法院對兒童最佳利益的闡釋與適用，以質化分析為主要研究方法，而在這實證分析中發現：第一，法官最主要審酌兒童最佳利益的因素有：兒童意願與想法、兒童年齡、父母親的親職能力、父母親的個性與表現、父母親的婚姻與居住狀況、可能造成的傷害與危險性、父母親期待照顧孩子的意願與態度、親子關係、親友支援、兒童的背景及其特質、兒童的生理、情感與教育之需求、兒童與申請人間的互動關係、主要照顧者、父母親或同居人有兒虐情形、兒童的狀況、父母親的健康、手足關係、父母親的背景、兒童之性別、父母親年齡、父母親或同居人的酒癮行為等。第二，居所裁定的主要申請人，除父親與母親外，尚還包括了兒童本人、法定監護人、繼父、祖父母、姑姑與當地主管機關等。第三，研究中也發現，在居所裁定的審判過程中，許多專業人士參與兒童權利保護及評估兒童最佳利益的工作，包括：社會工作員、法定監護人、法院福利官、官方律師、老師、警官、家庭醫生、心理學家、精神病醫師、小兒科醫生等。

This study involves the analysis of thirty judgments in English residence order proceedings. Its primary purpose is to identify how the courts interpret and apply the concept of the best interests of the child. Qualitative analysis is the main research method. The empirical analysis reveals that the most important factors considered by the judges and discloses a number of significant phenomena and criteria in the thirty cases. Firstly, it demonstrates many of the factors that are taken into consideration in the making of residence orders, it includes the child's wishes and feelings, the child's age, the father's and mother's parenting ability and their moral character and performance, and the parental status quo (their living condition and marriage or cohabitation), the possibility of harm/risk, parental wishes and attitudes in looking after the child, parent-child relationship and affection, relatives or others' support in caring for the child, child's background and characteristic, child's physical, emotional and educational needs, relationship and affection between the child and the applicant or carer (the person who will look after the child), primary caretaker, parents or cohabitant abuse child behaviour, child's status quo, parental health, sibling, parental background, child's sex, parental age, parents or cohabitant's alcoholic behaviour. Secondly, it establishes that, while the main applicants for residence orders are the child's father or mother, it further reveals that the other applicants include child, guardians ad litem, stepfather, grandparent, aunt, and local authority. Thirdly, the study demonstrates that many different specialists are involved in residence order proceedings, working together to protect children's rights and assess the best interests of the child. The specialists involved in the assessment include social workers, guardians ad litem, court welfare officers, the official solicitor, teachers, police officers, family doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians.

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