Dr Simon Hoffman

Dr Simon Hoffman
Associate Professor
Legal Studies
Telephone: (01792) 513004
Room: Office - 152
First Floor
Richard Price Building
Singleton Campus

I joined Swansea University in 2006. My research focuses on international human rights, focusing on social rights, and the rights of minority groups, and those facing discrimination and disadvantage in society. I am especially interested in how human rights are realised and given effect, in particular in systems of political devolution and multi-level governance.

I am an experienced Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on empirical research projects and have been invited to present my research at conferences in the UK and internationally. I have acted as an expert witness to the National Assembly for Wales, and have worked in collaboration with the Wales Monitoring Group on the UNCRC and the Children’s Commissioner for Wales on children’s rights issues. Since 2012 I have been a co-coordinator of the Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People and I am currently a member of the Welsh Government’s Children’s Rights Advisory Group.

My teaching is on human rights and social justice (LLB) and children’s human rights (LLB); and human rights implementation (LLM). I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

 

Areas of Expertise

  • Human Rights, Children's Rights, Implementing Human Rights, Economic and Social Rights, Poverty

Publications

  1. (2019). The Impact of Legal Integration of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Wales.
  2. (2018). The Right to Housing in Wales. (Welsh Housing Quarterly). On-line
    https://www.whq.org.uk/the-magazine/issue/112/right-housing-wales/
  3. (2019). The UN convention on the rights of the child, decentralisation and legislative integration: a case study from Wales. The International Journal of Human Rights, 1-18.
  4. & (2018). The Impact of Legal Integration of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Wales.
  5. Collins v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2013] EWCA Civ 1865 CA Commentary: Stephen Cottle; Judgment: Simon Hoffman in 'Rewriting Children’s Rights Judgments From Academic Vision to New Practice', Stalford, Hollingsworth and Gilmore, Hart Publishing, 2017. In 'Rewriting Children’s Rights Judgments From Academic Vision to New Practice'. Hart.

See more...

Teaching

  • LAA228 Human Rights & Social Justice

    Are you interested in human rights and how human rights relate to the problems of poverty and inequality? Do you want to know more about the relevance of human rights for law and public policy in areas such as housing, health or food security? This module will focus on international and European human rights law protections for economic and social rights. It will examine how social and economic rights, such as the right to an adequate standard of living, education or social security, are given effect and enforced through the system of international human rights law and treaty monitoring, as well as in the European system of human rights. The emphasis in this module is on enhancing and strengthening students' understanding of human rights, and to help students appreciate how human rights can make a difference.

  • LAA230 Human Rights of Children

    Are you interested in the human rights of children? Do you want to know more about children's international human rights and how these are protected? This module focuses on children's international human rights. It will examine how children's interests are regarded and safeguarded in international human rights law, and how these are enforced in the system of international human rights. The module will cover how UK law responds to meeting the challenge of implementing children's human rights by adopting a thematic approach to focus on particular areas of UK law, for example, the physical punishment of children by their parents. The module will also adopt a comparative approach to examine differences in legal responses to children's human rights between England and Wales. The emphasis in this module is on developing students' understanding of human rights, and to help students appreciate how human rights can make a difference to the lives of children.

  • LAA329 Human Rights & Social Justice

    Are you interested in human rights and how human rights relate to the problems of poverty and inequality? Do you want to know more about the relevance of human rights for law and public policy in areas such as housing, health or food security? This module will focus on international and European human rights law protections for economic and social rights. It will examine how social and economic rights, such as the right to an adeqaute standard of living, education or social security, are given effect and enforced through the sytem of international human rights law and treaty monitoring, as well as in the European system of human rights. The emphasis in this module is on enhancing and strengthening students' understanding of human rights, and to help students appreciate how human rights can make a difference.

  • LAA332 Human Rights of Children

    Are you interested in the human rights of children? Do you want to know more about children's international human rights and how these are protected? This module focuses on children's international human rights. It will examine how children's interests are regarded and safeguarded in international human rights law, and how these are enforced in the system of international human rights. The module will cover how UK law responds to meeting the challenge of implementing children's human rights by adopting a thematic approach to focus on particular areas of UK law, for example, the physical punishment of children by their parents. The module will also adopt a comparative approach to examine differences in legal responses to children's human rights between England and Wales. The emphasis in this module is on developing students' understanding of human rights, and to help students appreciate how human rights can make a difference to the lives of children.

  • LAAD03 MLaw Dissertation

    This module provides students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth and critical examination of an area of law in which they are particularly interested. Supervision will be provided during the 2nd semester.

  • LAAM08 Human Rights Implementation

    This module will provide students with advanced knowledge on the obligations of States for implementation of rights under human rights treaties, and will introduce students to practical tools to translate international human rights norms into practice at regional, national or sub-national level, and to hold States to account for compliance with their human rights obligations. The module will examine how human rights may be given effect through law and policy, and will include a focus on tools and mechanisms for use to translate international norms to practice, for example, legislation, human rights approaches and human rights impact assessment (HRIA). HRIA will be discussed and evaluated in the context of international human rights, focusing on its contribution to the development of government policy, and meeting State obligation to give effect to human rights. Also discussed will be an integral or holistic approach to human rights, and elements of a comprehensive and systematic approach to the design of a 'rights-based approach' to government policy and programmes. The module will examine the use of outcome frameworks, human rights indicators and accountability mechanisms as tools to support implementation of human rights in State policy and action.

  • LAAM11 Dissertation

    This compulsory module provides students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth and critical examination of an area of law in which they are particularly interested. Supervision will be provided in accordance with the procedures set out in the LLM Human Rights Handbook. Students should refer to the Handbook for information on supervision.

  • LAAM18 Protection of Minority Rights

    Minority issues are part of Global and European history and politics. Religious minorities, and later national and linguistic minorities are often portrayed as threats to the homogeneity of societies, as well as to processes of nation- and state-building. In the 20th century, minorities in Europe became the object of major bellicose conflicts and were seen as an anomaly of international relations ¿ at times as a ¿fifth column¿. Domestically, traditional minorities had to fight their own way to be able to remain in their homelands while new arrivals were received with rejection and were expected to return home. At the same time, personal identity became a public domain item and minority groups emerged and formed on the basis of identity and difference. Whether in ¿old Europe¿ or the New World, minorities have often been seen as a threat to peace and security and mostly as outsiders who do not fit in. In the early 21st Century of inter-connected societies, minorities are more than ever seen as a threat to social cohesion. The course addresses all these issues, minority rights, as well as social and cultural issues related to the identities of minority groups

Supervision

  • To what extent does the Rights and Responsibilities debate raise tensions for practices with children and young people (current)

    Student name:
    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Simon Hoffman
    Other supervisor: Dr Anthony Charles

  • The Impact of Participative Rights in Schools (current)

    Student name:
    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Anthony Charles
    Other supervisor: Dr Simon Hoffman

  • Developing Welsh Law to protect the liberty of the mentally ill (current)

    Student name:
    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Simon Hoffman
    Other supervisor: Dr Caroline Jones
    Other supervisor: Prof Jane Williams

  • A case study investigation into a children's human rights approach to health services. (current)

    Student name:
    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Paul Rees
    Other supervisor: Prof Ann John
    Other supervisor: Dr Simon Hoffman

  • Youth Justice in Wales: The Role and Influence of Welsh Youth Offending Teams in the Context of Pre-devolution Youth Justice. (current)

    Student name:
    PhD
    Other supervisor: Dr Simon Hoffman
    Other supervisor: Dr Anthony Charles

  • 'The Case for Special Protection for Older People in International Law' (awarded 2018)

    Student name:
    PhD
    Other supervisor: Prof Jane Williams
    Other supervisor: Dr Simon Hoffman

  • 'Children''s Human Rights in Education: What impact Rights Respecting Status? ' (awarded 2017)

    Student name:
    MA
    Other supervisor: Prof Jonathan Bradbury
    Other supervisor: Dr Simon Hoffman

Research Groups

  • Co-director:

    Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People

  • Fellow:

    European Institute of Identities

  • Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People

    Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People

Key Grants and Projects

  • Children’s Rights Approach Statement, Children’s Commissioner for Wales 2016 - 2016

  • An Older People’s Rights Approach. Older People’s Commissioner for Wales 2016 - 2016

  • Safeguarding Children’s Rights in Times of Austerity, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (Council of Europe) 2015

  • Evaluation of Welsh Government’s Child Rights Impact Assessment, Welsh Government 2015

    , £10,650

  • An Evaluation of the Welsh Government’s Budget Equality Impact Assessment 2012 Equalities and Human Rights Commission 2012

    , £11,000

  • Swansea’s Tiered Approach to Youth Anti-Social Behaviour Welsh Government New Ideas Fund, with Stuart Macdonald 2009 - 2010

    , £9625

Administrative Responsibilities

  • Research Institute of Applied Social Sciences, Advisory Board

    2014 - Present

  • Swansea Employability Academy Strategy Board

    2014 - Present

  • Learning and Teaching Committee - College of Law

    2014 - Present

  • Member of Council of Swansea University

    2013 - Present

  • Director of Employability - College of Law

    2012 - Present

  • Director Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young - College of Law

    2012 - Present

External Responsibilities

  • Welsh Government UN Human Rights Stakeholder group (non-governme, Welsh Government UN Human Rights Stakeholder group (non-governme

    2014 - Present

  • Human Rights Advisor, Human RightsNHS Centre for Equality and Human Rights

    2014 - Present

  • Welsh Government Budget Advisory Group on Equality (non-governme, Welsh Government Budget Advisory Group on Equality (non-governme

    2014 - Present

  • Welsh Government Getting It Right group (non-governmental member, Welsh Government Getting It Right group (non-governmental member

    2013 - Present

  • Wales Monitoring Group on the UN Convention on the Rights of the, Wales Monitoring Group on the UN Convention on the Rights of the

    2010 - Present

Innovation and Engagement - Current Activities

  • Human Rights Advisor, Expert Group on Older People’s Human Rights, Older People’s Commissioner Wales  
  • Human Rights Advisor, NHS Centre for Equality and Human Rights
  • Wales Monitoring Group on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • Welsh Government (Secretariat), Children’s Rights Advisory Group
  • Welsh Government (Secretariat), Budget Advisory Group on Equality
  • Welsh Government (Secretariat), Human Rights Stakeholder group
  • Human Rights Advisor, Expert Group on Older People’s Human Rights, Older People’s Commissioner Wales  
  • Human Rights Advisor, NHS Centre for Equality and Human Right
  • Wales Monitoring Group on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • Welsh Government (Secretariat), Children’s Rights Advisory Group
  • Welsh Government (Secretariat), Budget Advisory Group on Equality
  • Welsh Government (Secretariat), Human Rights Stakeholder group

Calling from outside the UK?

+44 1792 513004