This third edition has been extensively revised and updated to take account of significant legislative changes that have occurred since the second edition, including the Adoption and Children Act 2002, the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998. This edition includes coverage of other important developments such as: * the Council of Europe Convention on Contact concerning Children and case-law relating to contact * reform of the child support legislation * the introduction of special guardianship * changes to the law governing the parental responsibility of unmarried fathers * and significant case-law including Re A (Children) (Conjoined Twins: Surgical Separation) Children: The Modern Law is an authoritative study of the legal position of children in our society, and is essential reading for students of child law, family law and social work.