Unit family

The 0000 2: Children

Exercise 1:
Complete this definition and explanation (which has been adapted from the A & C Black
Dictionary of Law) with words and expressions from the box.

adult binding business convicted guardians Juvenile juveniles land

legal status majority malice marry minor minority parents responsible
vote will written permission young offender young person Youth

A child can be defined as 'a person under the age of 18'. We can also use the word '__________'. The state
of being less than 18 years old is called '__________'. When a child becomes 18, he / she reaches the age
of __________ and so is legally regarded as an __________. In other words, he/ she becomes __________
for his / her own actions, can sue, be sued or undertake __________ transactions.

In Great Britain a child does not have full __________ until the age of 18. A contract is not __________ on a
child, and a child cannot own __________, cannot make a __________, cannot __________ and cannot
drive a car (under the age of seventeen). A child cannot __________ before the age of 16, and can only do
so between the ages of 16 and 18 with the __________ of his / her __________ or legal __________. A
child who is less than 10 years old is not considered capable of committing a crime; a child between 10 and
14 years of age may be considered capable of doing so if there is evidence of __________ or knowledge,
and so children of these ages can in certain circumstances be __________. In criminal law the term 'child' is
used for children between the ages of 10 and 14; for children between 14 and 17, the term '__________' is
used; all children are termed '__________'. If someone between these ages commits a crime, he / she is
known as a __________, and may be sentenced in a __________ Court (previously known as a __________
Court).

Exercise 2:

1. Choose the correct word in bold to complete this sentence:

The money paid by the state to a person who is responsible for a child under 16 years of age is
called child support / maintenance / benefit / pension.

2. When two people divorce or get separated and one of them has care of their children, the other
has the right to see the child regularly. True or false: this is called excess.

3. True or false: in Britain, the responsibility for the assessment, review, collection and enforcement of
maintenance for children is supervised by the courts.

4. What does the Latin expression 'in loco parentis' mean?

5. Rearrange the letters in bold to make a word: A child or young person who acts in an antisocial
way or breaks the law is known as a queendltin.

6. Choose the best meaning of the word adoption. Is it:

(a) the act of looking after and bringing up a child who is not your own
(b) the act of becoming the legal parent of a child which is not your own
(c) the act of having your children supervised while they are at home to make sure they are being
well cared for

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For reference see Dictionary of Law 4th edition (A & C Black 0-7475-6636-4).
 Unit 0000
7. Which of the following are allowed to be foster parents?:
(a) married couples (b) unmarried couples (c) single women (d) single men
(e) same-sex couples

8. Complete the words in bold: If a parent or guardian fails to provide a child with adequate shelter,
food, clothing, medical attention and supervision, this is known as n _ _ _ _ _ _. If a parent
intentionally harms a child physically or mentally, this is known as a _ _ _ _.

9. Choose the correct word in bold to complete this sentence:

Sometimes, if a woman is physically unable to conceive and have a baby, the couple may ask
another woman to have the baby for them and then give the baby to them: this woman is known
as a surrogate / surreal / surety / surrender mother.

10. What is a Guardian ad Litem? Is it:

(a) a parent who does not live with his / her child.
(b) a child who does not have a parent or legal guardian.
(c) a person appointed by a court to represent a child in a legal action.

11. True or false: a parent can be held legally responsible for the actions of their children if the
children do something wrong or illegal.

12. True or false: if one parent in a couple is found guilty of the offences in number 8 above, a court
can apply to have the parent taken out of the family home rather than the child.

13. Truancy is becoming a major problem in Britain. What do you think this word means?

14. In Britain there are various orders that can be applied for children in different situations. Match the
order 1 – 8 with what it does (a) – (h):

1. Care Order 2. Supervision Order 3. Search and Find Order 4. Disclosure Order
5. Prohibited Steps Order 6. Specific Issue Order 7. Contact Order 8. Residence Order

(a) If the parents cannot decide what to do about major issues related to their children, they can let
a court decide for them.
(b) In cases of separation and divorce, this decides who the child will live with (in other words, who
gets custody of the child)
(c) The court can prevent one parent from taking a child away from the other parent (often used if
there is a danger the parent will take the child out of the country).
(d) A court can order the police or other legally-appointed body to enter a house where they think
a child might be held against his / her will, in bad conditions, or illegally by a person not entitled to
look after the child.
(e) A separated or divorced parent wants to see his / her children (who are living with the other
parent) for short periods on a regular basis.
(f) The local social services regularly visit the home to check that children are being well cared for.
(g) If a person knows where a child is being illegally held, they must give this information to the
police or the court, or face prosecution.
(h) Children are taken away from their home and parents / guardians by the local social services.

39
For reference see Dictionary of Law 4th edition (A & C Black 0-7475-6636-4).