

European Children's Rights Unit
The European Children’s Rights Unit (ECRU) is a research-intensive cluster located within the University of Liverpool’s School of Law and Social Justice. Our work covers a broad range of children’s rights areas, including immigration and asylum, children’s rights in the legal process, childhood obesity, special educational needs and exclusions, criminal justice, Brexit, online technologies, children’s sexual and gender identity, child labour, best interests decision-making and cross-border parental child abduction. Much of this research has involved close collaboration with external partners ranging from academic, policymakers, practitioners and intergovernmental and civil society organisations.
The Unit has a specific expertise in progressive participatory approaches to research involving children and in building capacities among practitioners and policy makers – through training, consultancy and strategic litigation - to enable them to apply a children's rights-based approach to their work.
For further information about ECRU's activities, please contact one of the directors, Professor Helen Stalford or Seamus Byrne.

Members
Discover more about our Members including PhD researchers and their interests.

Publications
Learn more about our internationally recognised research output.
What's new?
Stay up to date with the latest ECRU news and media.

Research projects
Find out more about the impact ECRU makes through our research projects.

Training and Consultancy
See how our expertise informs debate and influences policy around the rights of the child.

Events
Find out about our upcoming events and conferences as well as calls for papers.

Strategic Litigation
Read about how we supported litigation concerning British Citizenship fees imposed on children.

Practical Research Resources
Resources include our Children's Rights Reading Group, Reading Lists and Ethics Briefing Papers.

Young People's Advisory Group
Getting children's views on research - visit the Children and Childhood YPAG page

Campaigns
Members of ECRU are working closely with over 30 children's rights organisations, academics and practitioners across the UK as part of a Brexit and Children's Rights coalition.
In 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, ECRU academics have produced nine COVID-19 Briefing Papers on the impact on children.