Leiden University, The Netherlands
Leiden Law School is one of the largest faculties at Leiden University. The faculty is renowned for its research and teaching. Leiden Law School ranks number 1 in the Netherlands, number 32 in the QS World University Ranking by subject and number 20 in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking.
The Department of Child Law of Leiden Law School is a knowledge center dedicated to academic research and education for both students and professionals in the field of child law and international children's rights. Its work covers a wide range of areas including child protection, juvenile justice, children's rights and family law. The staff of the Department of Child Law consist of academics with extensive experience in child law and international children's rights research and education, and with significant working experience in practice.
The Department of Child Law offers an LL.M. programme on international children’s rights that is unique in the world: Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights. In addition, it offers the only LL.M programme on Dutch Child Law in the Netherlands and various courses in the Bachelor's programme of the Leiden Law School and post-academic training programmes for professionals in the Netherlands and abroad. One of these post-academic programmes is the summer school Frontiers of Children's Rights, that the Department organizes together with the Grotius Center for International Legal Studies of Leiden Law School. It also organizes the bi-annual Children's Rights Moot Court Competition, a three-day competition open to university teams from all over the world.
The Department furthermore conducts independent scientific research, as well as studies commissioned by among others governments, international organizations, including UNICEF, the Council of Europe and different institutions, including the Dutch children's ombudsperson.