It is an accepted principle of domestic and international law and policy that the welfare or best interests of the child must be the primary or paramount consideration in any decision made with regard to that child's upbringing. While this ‘best interests standard’ has become a core principle of welfare law, what might constitute a child or young person's best interests is given very little formal shape or content. This has provoked sustained criticism from practitioners, academics and the judiciary. In response, this paper argues that the capabilities approach can give best interests assessments much needed normative content, thereby addressing many of the criticisms directed towards the standard. The approach provides a theoretically nuanced framework for theorising about basic social justice and for evaluation, deliberation, and policy development across social welfare sectors. In arguing for a capabilities approach to best interests assessments, the paper sets out an agenda for change. It addresses the conceptual and methodological justifications for this change, and explores the empirical work that would be required. It identifies the steps and underlying principles necessary for a best interests process aligned with the capabilities approach, providing the necessary foundations for a radical reconceptualisation of best interests processes.

中文翻译：

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最佳利益评估的能力方法

一项公认的国内和国际法律和政策原则是，儿童的福利或最大利益必须是有关该儿童养育的任何决定的首要或首要考虑因素。虽然这一“最大利益标准”已成为福利法的核心原则，但可能构成儿童或青少年最大利益的东西却很少有正式的形式或内容。这引起了从业者、学者和司法部门的持续批评。作为回应，本文认为，能力方法可以为最佳利益评估提供急需的规范内容，从而解决针对该标准的许多批评。该方法为关于基本社会正义的理论化以及评估、审议、和跨社会福利部门的政策制定。在争论最佳利益评估的能力方法时，该文件列出了变革议程。它解决了这一变化的概念和方法论理由，并探讨了所需的实证工作。它确定了与能力方法相一致的最佳利益流程所需的步骤和基本原则，为最佳利益流程的彻底重新概念化提供了必要的基础。