Minister Foley welcomes the appointment of Dr. Aisling Parkes as Special Rapporteur on Child Protection

The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, today announced the appointment by the Government of Dr. Aisling Parkes as Special Rapporteur on Child Protection for a two-year term until 19 May 2028.

The Minister welcomed Dr. Parkes to the role saying:

The appointment follows an open competition run by Public Jobs.

Speaking today, Dr. Parkes said:

Dr. Parkes is a senior academic and researcher in domestic child law and international children’s rights in University College Cork. Dr. Parkes has over twenty years’ experience in informing policy and legal developments in the areas of child and family law, children’s rights, child protection, and international human rights law.

Notes to Editors

The Job Specification underpinning the recruitment process for the 2026 – 2028 Term is as follows:

· The Special Rapporteur is required to prepare one Annual Report for each year of the two-year term, examining the impact on child protection, if any, of relevant national and international legal and legislative developments during the previous year.

· Additionally, at the request of the Minister or on the proposal of the Special Rapporteur, and agreed between the Minister and Special Rapporteur, the Special Rapporteur may be asked to prepare at least one thematic report over the course of the two-year term.

· The Rapporteur is accountable to the Government. The Annual Report submitted to the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality will be submitted to Government for approval to publish and will be laid before the Oireachtas and published.

· The term of office for the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection is two years. An annual stipend of €25,000 per annum is payable to the appointee in respect of the required outputs of the role.

Background Information on Dr. Aisling Parkes

Education

· PhD in Law, University College Cork (2007) – specialising in children’s rights, child law and the voice of the child (Article 12 UNCRC)

· LLM (Hons), University College Cork (2001) University College Cork, 2001

· MA in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, University College Cork, 2011

· MA in Applied Psychology (Coaching Psychology), University College Cork, 2016

· BA (Applied Psychology), University College Cork, 2021

· BCL (Hons, University College Cork, 2000

Current Position

Dr Parkes is a Senior Lecturer in Law at University College Cork, and a nationally and internationally recognised expert in child and family law, children’s rights, and child protection. She brings over twenty years’ experience in academic research, teaching, and policy engagement in the field of children’s rights and family justice.

Her academic work is widely recognised internationally, including the publication of her work titled Children and International Human Rights Law: The Right of the Child to be Heard (Routledge), as well as an extensive body of peer‑reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and policy reports on child protection, family law, and children’s participation rights.

Dr Parkes has significant experience influencing policy and practice at both national and international level. She has acted as an Independent Expert to the Council of Europe, contributing to the development of European standards on children with imprisoned parents, and has worked on a wide range of government‑commissioned and NGO‑commissioned research projects addressing child protection, adoption, domestic violence, and family justice reform, and led the Department of Justice commissioned report into the Operation of the in camera rule in family law proceedings (2025). Dr Parkes has also contributed extensively to professional education and training nationally and internationally, delivering specialist training to judges, legal practitioners, and child protection professionals. She is actively involved with a number of children’s rights national and international organisations and networks, including the Children’s Rights Alliance, the Children of Prisoners Europe network and other research and policy groups focused on advancing children’s rights.

Previous Career History

· Lecturer in Law, School of law, University College Cork (2008–2019)

· Programme Director, Law School, Griffith College Cork (2006-2008)

· Part-time lecturer and tutor in Law, UCC (2002-2006)

Publications (Selected)

· Parkes A., (PI) McCaughren S., Burns, K., D’jalma Torres Sánchez M., The Operation of the In Camera Rule in Family Law Proceedings (Dublin: Government of Ireland, 2025) April 2025.https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/The_Operation_of_the_In_Camera_Rule_in_Family_Law_Proceedings.pdf .

· Parkes, A. Children and International Human Rights Law: The Right of the Child to be Heard (UK/NYC: Routledge-Cavendish, 2013, 2015)

· Parkes A. & Donson F., Parental Imprisonment and Children’s Rights (UK: Routledge, 2021)

· Parkes, A., McCaughren, S, Holt, S, ‘The Voice of the Child? The Child has no Voice. An Irish Study Exploring the Voice of Young Children in Decisions regarding Contact’ European Social Work Research, 2(3), 204-223.

· McCaughren, S., Holt, S., Parkes, A., Gregory, S., Research Report on Guidance on Contact Time for Infants and Young Children in Separated Families, Trinity College Dublin, December, 2022, p1 - 180 Report, 2022

Awards (Selected)

2024 Leadership Award, College of Business and Law Awards, UCC

2021 Peter Dempsey Award, School of Applied Psychology, UCC

2016 Frank McGrath Perpetual Award for Equality and Welfare 2016

2016 UCC Research Team of the Year 201

2014 UCC Presidents Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning