Robyn Fitzgerald B.Ed (Syd) LLB (Hons)(SCU) PhD (SCU) Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Robyn is a postdoctoral fellow with the Centre for Children & Young People (CCYP) at Southern Cross University. Her main area of research interest is the participation of children in family law. Since beginning life as a researcher, Robyn has undertaken research projects through the CCYP that seek to better understand the views and perspectives of children across the many settings of their lives. As part of this work, Robyn is currently working with Professor Anne Graham in developing more ethical and effective approaches to taking account of the voices of children in both research and practice. She is currently involved in a number of research projects including children’s participation in family dispute resolution, exploring children’s views and experiences of participation and citizenship. She is also involved in the Childwatch Children and the Law project, which is examining the role of Article 12 in family law systems internationally. In addition to her research interests, Robyn facilitates the CCYP’s young people’s consultative group, Young People, Big Voice (YPBV), a group of young people who meet monthly to inform the work of the CCYP so as to improve policy and practice concerning children and young people. Robyn also teaches in the Schools of Law and Education. She is married to Michael and has three children, Emily, Caitlin and Paddy.
Journal articles
"Something amazing I guess: children's views on having a say about supervised contact" (with Anne Graham), Australian Social Work (2011)
This paper reports on a small-scale, qualitative study on children's perspectives about their participation in...
Supporting children’s mental health in schools: teacher views (with Anne Graham, Renata Phelps, and Carrie Maddison), Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice (2011)
Schools have increasingly been targeted as appropriate sites for mental health promotion and teachers are...
The changing status of children within family law from vision to reality? (with Anne Graham), Griffith Law Review (2011)
Children’s participation in research: some possibilities and constraints in the current Australian research environment (with Anne Graham), Journal of Sociology (2010)
This article draws attention to a number of critical issues that exist in the current...
Progressing children’s participation: exploring the potential of a dialogical turn (with Anne Graham), Childhood (2010)
Children’s participation is increasingly ambiguous and contested. Such complexity emerges in response to its emancipatory...
Book chapters
Australian children’s perspectives on rights, responsibilities, and citizenship: implications for teacher practice and citizenship education (with Anne Graham and Brad Shipway), Children as Citizens? International Voices (2009)
The rights of children as citizens have become an increasing focus of international attention as...
Children’s participation as a struggle over recognition (with Anne Graham, Anne B. Smith, and Nicola J. Taylor), A handbook for children and young people's participation (2009)
A Handbook of Children’s Participation brings together key thinkers and practitioners from diverse contexts across...
Children’s participation on citizenship: conclusions and future directions (with Udi Butler, Havard Bjerke, Anne B. Smith, Brad Shipway, Anne Graham, and Nicola J. Taylor), Children as citizens? : International voices (2009)
‘Young People Big Voice’: Reflections on the participation of children and young people in a university setting (with Anne Graham), Involving children and young people in research: a compendium of papers and reflections from a think tank co-hosted by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth and the NSW Commission for Children and Young People on 11 November 2008 (2008)
The purpose of this paper is to share critical insights into the strengths and challenges...
Policy submissions
Submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Children and Young People aged 9-14 years (with Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2008)
Submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the Bullying of Children and Young People (with Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2008)
'A new approach to the family law system: implementation of reforms: discussion paper (with Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2005)
A new approach to the family law system: implementation of reforms: discussion paper (with Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2005)
Submission to the House of Representatives Inquiry into Child Custody Arrangements in the Event of Family Separation (with Richard Harris and Anne Graham), School of Education Papers (2003)
Theses
Children having a say: a study on children's participation in family law decision making, PhD thesis, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW (2009)
The idea that children should be heard and their views respected in decision-making has become...
Conference publications
Children's participation in family law decision making: rich insights from childhood studies, new challenges for family law (with Anne Graham), Fourteenth UCL Current Legal Issues Interdisciplinary Colloquium (2010)
The changing status of children in family law: from vision to reality? (with Anne Graham), Coffs Harbour Interagency Pathways Services for Families: Family Matters: Choices and Challenges Conference (2010)
Transitioning theory to practice: 'children's participation' from a practitioner perspective (with Anne Graham), 3rd Childhood and Youth in Transition Conference (2010)
Children's participation in family relationship centres: a cornerstone in strengthening the wellbeing of children following their parents' separation (with Anne Graham and Julie Leete), Proceedings of Family Relationship Services Australia 2nd National Conference Children and Families; Reducing Risk, Building Resilience (2009)
Children's participation in research: some possibilities and constraints (with Anne Graham), Children as Experts in Their Own Lives’ Social Justice Social Change Research Group Children's Symposium and ISCI Conference (2009)
Reports
Building capacity for ethical research with children and young people: an international research project to examine the ethical issues and challenges in undertaking research with and for children in different majority and minority world contexts (with Mary Ann Powell, Anne Graham, Nicola J. Taylor, and Sallie Newell), Centre for Children and Young People (2011)
The Childwatch International Research Network is a global, non-profit, non-governmental network of institutions that collaborate...
Child-led research: piloting the Today and Tomorrow Research Group (with Sallie Newell, Anne Graham, Zeah Behrend, and Trish Malins), Centre for Children and Young People (2011)
Exploring the promises and possibilities for children’s participation in family relationship centres (Report) (with Anne Graham), Interrelate Family Centres (2009)
Results of an international survey regarding children's participation in decision-making following parental separation (with Sallie Newell and Anne Graham), Report prepared for Childwatch International's Children & the Law Thematic Study Group (2009)
This report presents the results from a survey developed and conducted by the Childwatch International...