This presentation addresses why change is needed in the way we think about identity and selfhood in the family justice and related fields. Article 8 of the UNCRC provides children with the right to preserve their identity. However, this is currently a right hidden in plain sight, largely unrecognised by law, policy and practice. It has been interpreted narrowly despite the wide-ranging and evolving nature of the concept of identity and the broad potential scope of the Article in domestic and cross-border contexts. This may be attributable, in part, to the reasons motivating Article 8’s inclusion in the UNCRC in 1989. Yet, the preservation of a child’s identity cannot be frozen in time. It should apply to the more static features of identity already identified within Article 8 (name, nationality, family relations) as well as those aspects that arise in response to significant life events and transformations experienced by children within and outside of their families (e.g., gender, out-of-home care, forced marriage, relocation, abduction, migration, detention). Article 8’s companion Articles 3, 5, 7 and 12 should be better incorporated into our thinking regarding children’s right to identity. Our presentation will lift the veil on family law and consider how it can better address child identity issues. A more expansive approach to Article 8 will lead to identity becoming a more explicit consideration in relevant cases before the courts and other decision-makers. Children need to be actively involved in shaping their own identity and their views on this should be ascertained and taken into account in legal decision-making processes. We also reflect on the possibility of a General Comment to clarify Article 8’s scope and interpretation, whether identity should feature in child-related statutory enactments, and how to teach family law to better equip lawyers, judges, related professionals, and society going forward.