This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) will support pilot research on the first systematic, comparative study of children's ombudspersons. This research is part of a larger project which seeks to answer two questions: Why is law used to mend public-private gaps in social policy? And how is law used to mend these public-private gaps? The office of children's ombudsperson is a social policy innovation established for purposes of advocating for children and enforcing their rights. Children's ombudsperson offices are a potentially powerful mediating factor between the at-risk child, parents, the state, and other public and private actors and institutions. Adding the children's ombudsperson to studies of children's welfare reinforces the importance of understanding the role of children's rights in the welfare state and legal system. The data take the form of observations and interviews from attending a meeting of the European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC) in Wales from October 13 to 15, 2004. The conference presents an unusual and important opportunity to interview numerous children's ombudspersons from a wide range of nations, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Georgia, Iceland, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Catalonian community of Spain, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and three oblasts of the Russian Federation. In addition, at this meeting, participants will discuss the establishment of an office of children's ombudsperson at the level of the European Union. This research will contribute to law and society research through its analysis of why and how law is used to mend public-private gaps in social policy. Moreover, the research holds the potential for broad societal impacts, including contributions to law and policy making affecting children.
