What Do We Want From the Law
Objectives The Guardianship Act 1968 sets the legal rules for guardianship, custody, and access in respect of children and young people. It is now more than 30 years old. Many people believe that it is out of date and that we need to reform the law to reflect the changes in our beliefs and behaviour in this crucial area.
But if we are to review the legal framework, we need to be clear about the objectives what are we trying to achieve?
Some suggestions for the objectives for the law regarding guardianship and custody of and access to, children and young people, are:
- to ensure that children and young people receive adequate and proper parenting to help them achieve their full potential
- to ensure that parents fulfil their responsibilities concerning the care, welfare and development of their children
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to recognise and maintain the important relationships within their wider family/ whanau which children and young people have established.
2.1 What do you think should be the basic goals of our laws about guardianship, custody and access to children and young people?
