Kids Law – Details, episodes & analysis

Want to know how you can influence the decisions that shape your life?

Arthur Templeman-Lily at 17 years old is a children’s rights consultant from Wales, who works to ensure young people’s voices are heard in decisions that affect their lives. He tells Alma and Lucinda about his experience in children participating in shaping law and policy, and why Cardiff is a leader in children’s rights.  Arthur explains how he became involved in children’s rights work and champion youth voices. We discuss:

·      How he went about producing the children-led book, ‘Pause, Play, Fast   Forward: The Journey of Children in Wales’

·      how the book is being used in schools and youth settings

·      why Wales became one of the first UK nations to criminalise smacking

·      the reasons and importance of voting at 16 years old

·      the age of criminal responsibility, comparing Wales with Scotland.

·      advice for children who want to learn more about their rights or get involved.

When Arthur was 10, he really enjoyed history and loved writing fan fiction about  the Lion King! 

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

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See you soon in the next episode!

Content Warning: This episode mentions domestic and sexual abuse, possession of weapons, and mental health difficulties in relation to behaviour that may lead to school exclusion.

Children as young as 10 can be held responsible for crimes – but they also have special rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In this episode, Alma-Constance and Lucinda talk to Florence Cole, an education solicitor at Harrow Law Centre, about the laws around children’s education, why exclusions happen, and what can be done to protect young people.

Florence has many years' experience supporting children and families through exclusions, appeals, discrimination cases, and special educational needs issues. She explains:

·       When parents can legally challenge a school or local authority decision

·       Why exclusions can have devastating long-term effects

·       How children’s backgrounds, trauma and unmet special needs can influence behaviour

·       The “school-to-prison pipeline” and pupil referral units

·       Practical tips for parents and carers facing exclusion hearings

·       How the law (Equality Act 2010, Children & Families Act 2014, SEND Regulations) protects children with special educational needs

When Florence was 10, she loved spending time in nature and had an imaginary friend called Frieda. 

References and Resources 

• Harrow Law Centre
• Behaviour in schools: sanctions and exclusions
• Discriminatory exclusions
• School exclusion: a review on disproportionate exclusion of certain children
• School suspensions and permanent exclusions

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!

The Old Bailey is the nickname  for the court that hears the most serious criminal cases in England and Wales.
Alma and Lucinda spoke to Her Honour, Judge Anuja Dhir KC, the first non-white judge to be appointed. She tells us:

• about her role as a judge and what it's like to work in such a historic court 
• how  children and young people are involved in the criminal justice system
• the special procedures that are used to take their evidence and support them
• what it was like changing from being a barrister to a judge
• her experience of diversity in the legal profession

When Anuja was 10 she wanted to be a manager in a shoe shop!

Written, edited and produced by Lucinda Acland.

References and Resources

HH Anuja Dhir KC
Judicial Appointment
The Old Bailey. - The public galleries are open Monday - Friday 09:55 to 12:40 and 13:55 - 15:40. Visitors must be over 14. Proof of age may be requested by security.

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!

WARNING: This episode mentions death and dying in the context of the legal implications of death.

We know that law affects us during our lives but what happens when we die to all our things social media accounts even our pets?  And how are children affected? 

Alma and Lucinda talk to Melinda Giles, the Head of the Private Client and Court of Protection department at Giles Wilson Law Ltd about the law and procedures  when we die.
She tells us

·      What is the legal process following death and what happens to our things

·      Why wills are important and what happens if you don’t make one 

·      What happens to pets and our online presence accounts

·      How these laws affect children

·      How she advises and supports families in complex situations

When Melinda was 10 years old she loved reading so much she would hide under the covers with a torch at bedtime. She wanted to write and illustrate books at a beautiful desk!

Written, edited and produced by Lucinda Acland.

References and Resources
https://www.melindagiles.com/about
YouTube channel TVLawyer
X @MelindaGilesLaw
Cruse Bereavement Care supports people who are bereaved and produces useful information and advice.                                                                                                       

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!

Adults might want to listen to this episode before listening with young children, as we mention the words self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders in the context of examples of harmful online content.
The new Act aims to protect young people from harmful content online and puts new obligations on online platforms to make them more responsible for their users safety.
Alma - Constance and Lucinda speak to Jess Smith, Ofcom's online safety director, who explains: 

·      How the Act will stop children being harmed by online activity.

·      What tech companies will have to do to protect vulnerable people.

·      The ways to ensure age checks and change inappropriate algorithms.

·      How children have been involved to discuss their online experiences.

·      What Ofcom can do to ensure that the online providers obey with the new laws?

When Jess was 10 years old, she says she was very chatty, into climbing trees and cartwheels and really liked reading.  Her ambition was to be a professional horse rider competing in the Olympics. 

Written, edited and produced by Lucinda Acland.

Resources and References

Ofcom

What the Online Safety Act does 

Links for places that offer children support if they see harmful content online:

·       Internet Matters

·       NSPCC

·       Childnet

·       SWG4L

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!

At the Future Lawyer UK Conference, co-host Alma-Constance interviews Richard Susskind on Law, Tech and How It Affects Kids As They Grow Up.

In this special interview, questions such as how AI will affect how laws are drafted will be explored!

Professor Richard Susskind OBE KC (Hon) is half-lawyer, half-technologist. He has written 10 books and his work has been translated into 18 languages. His eleventh book, How to Think About AI: A Guide to the Perplexed, is to be published in the coming year. With his son, Daniel, he co-authored The Future of the Professions (2015, 2022), which was an FT Book of the Year. He is President of the Society for Computers and Law and, for 25 years, was Technology Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England. He wrote his PhD on artificial intelligence and the law at Oxford University in the early 1980s.

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!

If you write a song, create music or a fantastic invention, what can you do if someone copies your hard work?
Alma- Constance and Lucinda speak to His Honour Judge Richard Hacon, Presiding Judge of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, known as IPEC.

He tells us

·      That creative works, inventions and designs can be legal protected by intellectual property rights

·      There are different types of rights such as trademarks, design rights, patents, and copyrights

·      How important it is that people can make a living from their creative work 

·      The ways that these rights can be protected and where you can get help and advice, even if you don’t have much money

When Richard was 10 years old, he says he was a bit of a daydreamer, and his teachers often asked him to pay attention in class! He studied science at university, and he says he has found that useful in his intellectual property work.

Written, edited and produced by Lucinda Acland.

References and Resources

His Honour Judge Richard Hacon

IP Pro Bono

IPEC

Intellectual property and your work

Intellectual Property: A very short introduction

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!

Going to court can be lengthy, expensive and leave people feeling dissatisfied with the outcome. Alma- Constance and Lucinda speak to Frederick Way who is a Senior Dispute Resolution Consultant, Mediator and Trainer the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). 
He tells us 

·      the alternative ways to resolve disputes 

·      How mediation works

·      How people can be encouraged to work together to solve problems

·      Cases where children are involved and how their voices are heard

·      How young people are trained in schools to do peer mediation with their classmates

When Frederick was 10, he was really into drama and acting and was a child actor in London, doing professional shows.  He was in a musical called The Sound of Music, playing the youngest Von Trapp -  a boy called Kurt!

Written, edited and produced by Lucinda Acland.

References and Resources

Frederick Way

CEDR

The CEDR Mediation Audit

Civil Mediation Council

Peer Mediation https://civilmediation.org/peer-mediation/

Child Inclusive Mediation

SEND mediation for children with special educational needs

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!

What does ethics mean and why is it so important in the legal system and can it ensure   that lawyers can be trusted? 
Alma- Constance and Lucinda speak to Richard Moorhead, Professor of Law and Professional Ethics at the University of Exeter Law School and Honorary Professor of Law at UCL. He is also a member of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board in relation to the Post Office Horizon scandal.

He tells us 

·      What ethics means 

·      Why it’s so important in the legal system

·      How lawyers are trained to be ethical in their work

·      How standards maintained and checked

·      What can happen if lawyers do behave unethically

·      What could be done to prevent such problems

When Richard was 10, he wanted to be a footballer or a popstar!

Written, edited and produced by Lucinda Acland.

References and Resources

Richard Morehead

Lawyer Watch

Twitter X

Ethics of In-house Lawyers, with Vaughan and Godhino

The Art and Science of Negotiation Howard Raiffa

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!

Alma-Constance and Lucinda take a look back at the top 5 episodes over the 3 year lifespan of Kids Law podcast. 

This episodes features:
- former Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, the most downloaded episode 
- former head of the Department of Public Prosecutions, Sir Max Hill KC, the most publicised episode across media 
- former president of the UK Supreme Court, Baroness Brenda Hale 
- barrister Adam Wagner, the only guest to have been featured twice on the episode, once joined by his daughter 
- barrister Sultana Tafadar KC, also joined by her daughter 

Written, edited and produced by Lucinda Acland.

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. 
See you soon in the next episode!