Talk
To the best interest of the child? Legal implications and turning points of infant care in post-war Germany

According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, child welfare institutions are required to place the best interests of the child at the center of their decisions and actions. The fact that this does not always succeed, but is sometimes even systematically undermined, is shown by numerous studies dedicated to the injustice suffered by children in institutions. The talk "To the best interest of the child? Legal implications and turning points of infant care in post-war Germany" sheds light on the development of protective mechanisms that have been established historically to ensure the welfare of children. The lecture is part of the workshop "'Endings' to institutional models of infant care" at Queen's University Belfast which is hosted by the AHRC-funded "Institutions and Infant Care Research Network".