diff --git a/api/nestquest_core.py b/api/nestquest_core.py
index 6257dab..45e795a 100644
--- a/api/nestquest_core.py
+++ b/api/nestquest_core.py
@@ -124,8 +124,13 @@ core_events = importlib.import_module(f"{_CORE_MODULE_NAME}.events")
 #: the snapshot builder's ``settings`` parameter takes.
 core_settings = importlib.import_module(f"{_CORE_MODULE_NAME}.settings")
 
+#: The children business layer (``core.children.create_child`` et al.)
+#: the admin plane's children routes call.
+core_children = importlib.import_module(f"{_CORE_MODULE_NAME}.children")
+
 __all__ = [
     "core",
+    "core_children",
     "core_completion",
     "core_db",
     "core_events",
diff --git a/api/routes_admin.py b/api/routes_admin.py
index b7164c7..ff88551 100644
--- a/api/routes_admin.py
+++ b/api/routes_admin.py
@@ -8,20 +8,48 @@ the router level, so each later admin route added to this router
 inherits the check).  The panel service token is refused outright on
 this plane (403), never treated as a JWT.
 
-This task is the AUTH probe only: the ping route is a thin adapter
-that performs NO business logic and NO auth of its own — it reuses the
-router's already-verified claims (FastAPI caches a dependency's result
-per request, so the check runs exactly once) and returns the status
-plus the token's subject.
+The children routes are THIN adapters over the bundled core (Feature
+15): each handler validates the request's shape with a Pydantic model,
+resolves the live database off ``app.state.db``, calls ONE
+:mod:`nestquest_core.children` business function — the name policy,
+the no-explicit-NULL rule, the real-bool check and the permutation
+check all live THERE, never in a handler — and serializes the returned
+:class:`~nestquest_core.dao_children.ChildRecord` into the documented
+payload (``id``, ``display_name``, ``colour``, ``avatar_ref``,
+``sort_order``, ``is_active``).
+
+Error mapping (every children route, deliberately narrow):
+
+- Malformed input the body model or the path parser rejects (a missing
+  or wrong-typed field, a non-integer child id) is FastAPI's 422 before
+  any handler code runs.
+- A core ``ValueError`` reporting a NON-EXISTENT child (edit or
+  set_active on an unknown id) is mapped to 404.
+- Every OTHER core ``ValueError`` — an empty display name, an explicit
+  ``null`` colour/avatar_ref (clearing is not supported), a reorder
+  list that is not a complete permutation of the children (missing,
+  duplicate, or unknown ids) — is mapped to 422: the body was
+  well-formed JSON but semantically invalid, the same failure class
+  Pydantic reports.  The core rejects these BEFORE any write, so a 422
+  never leaves a half-applied change behind.
+
+PATCH edit semantics: the body model's fields are optional and only
+SUPPLIED fields are forwarded (``model_dump(exclude_unset=True)``), so
+an omitted field is never passed to
+:func:`nestquest_core.children.edit_child` and stays unchanged — while
+an explicit ``null`` IS passed and is rejected by the core rather than
+silently ignored.
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from typing import Annotated
+from typing import Annotated, NoReturn
 
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException, Request
 from pydantic import BaseModel
 
 from api.auth import require_admin
+from api.database import DatabaseState
+from api.nestquest_core import core_children
 
 #: All admin-plane routes share this router; the ONE admin dependency
 #: (service-token refusal + JWT verification + nestquest-admins group
@@ -42,6 +70,108 @@ class AdminPingResponse(BaseModel):
     sub: str | None
 
 
+class AdminChildResponse(BaseModel):
+    """One child profile as the admin plane serializes it.
+
+    Mirrors :class:`~nestquest_core.dao_children.ChildRecord` minus the
+    internal ``created_at`` stamp.
+    """
+
+    id: int
+    display_name: str
+    colour: str | None
+    avatar_ref: str | None
+    sort_order: int
+    is_active: bool
+
+
+class AdminChildListResponse(BaseModel):
+    """The children list: every profile in the household's display order."""
+
+    children: list[AdminChildResponse]
+
+
+class AdminChildCreateRequest(BaseModel):
+    """The body of ``POST /api/v1/admin/children``.
+
+    ``display_name`` is required (the core trims it and rejects an
+    empty name); the other fields are optional and default through the
+    core layer (``colour``/``avatar_ref`` NULL, ``sort_order`` 0).
+    """
+
+    display_name: str
+    colour: str | None = None
+    avatar_ref: str | None = None
+    sort_order: int = 0
+
+
+class AdminChildEditRequest(BaseModel):
+    """The body of ``PATCH /api/v1/admin/children/{child_id}``.
+
+    Every field is optional; ONLY the fields the request supplies are
+    forwarded to :func:`nestquest_core.children.edit_child` (the route
+    dumps the model with ``exclude_unset``), so an omitted field stays
+    unchanged while an explicit ``null`` — a supplied value — reaches
+    the core and is rejected there rather than silently ignored.
+    """
+
+    display_name: str | None = None
+    colour: str | None = None
+    avatar_ref: str | None = None
+    sort_order: int | None = None
+
+
+class AdminChildActiveRequest(BaseModel):
+    """The body of ``PATCH /api/v1/admin/children/{child_id}/active``."""
+
+    is_active: bool
+
+
+class AdminChildReorderRequest(BaseModel):
+    """The body of ``POST /api/v1/admin/children/reorder``.
+
+    ``ordered_ids`` must be a complete permutation of the household's
+    child ids (the core rejects a partial, duplicate, or unknown list
+    before any write).
+    """
+
+    ordered_ids: list[int]
+
+
+#: 404 detail for a child id the core layer reports as non-existent.
+_CHILD_NOT_FOUND_DETAIL = "Child not found"
+
+
+def _raise_child_error(error: ValueError) -> NoReturn:
+    """Map a core children ``ValueError`` onto 404 or 422 and raise it.
+
+    The core layer raises ``ValueError`` for two distinct situations,
+    and this mapping is the children routes' one piece of adapter
+    logic: a non-existent child on a single-id route (edit, set_active
+    — the message reads ``child N does not exist``) becomes 404, the
+    admin plane's not-found answer; every other core ``ValueError``
+    becomes 422 with the core's message as the detail — it names the
+    field and what to fix, and leaks nothing but that validation rule.
+    """
+    if "does not exist" in str(error):
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=404, detail=_CHILD_NOT_FOUND_DETAIL
+        ) from error
+    raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=str(error)) from error
+
+
+def _child_response(record: core_children.ChildRecord) -> AdminChildResponse:
+    """Serialize one core ChildRecord into the documented payload."""
+    return AdminChildResponse(
+        id=record.id,
+        display_name=record.display_name,
+        colour=record.colour,
+        avatar_ref=record.avatar_ref,
+        sort_order=record.sort_order,
+        is_active=record.is_active,
+    )
+
+
 @router.get("/ping", summary="Admin plane probe")
 async def admin_ping(
     claims: Annotated[dict[str, object], Depends(require_admin)],
@@ -62,4 +192,153 @@ async def admin_ping(
     )
 
 
+@router.get(
+    "/children",
+    summary="List child profiles",
+    response_model=AdminChildListResponse,
+)
+async def admin_list_children(request: Request) -> AdminChildListResponse:
+    """Return every child profile in display order.
+
+    Requires a valid admin JWT (the router's shared
+    :func:`~api.auth.require_admin` dependency — the ONE check; this
+    handler performs NO auth of its own).  Thin adapter: one
+    :func:`nestquest_core.children.list_children` call, active AND
+    inactive children included (the admin screen manages both), in the
+    core's display order (``sort_order``, then ``id``).
+    """
+    state: DatabaseState = request.app.state.db
+    records = await core_children.list_children(state.database)
+    return AdminChildListResponse(
+        children=[_child_response(record) for record in records]
+    )
+
+
+@router.post(
+    "/children",
+    summary="Create a child profile",
+    status_code=201,
+    response_model=AdminChildResponse,
+)
+async def admin_create_child(
+    body: AdminChildCreateRequest, request: Request
+) -> AdminChildResponse:
+    """Create a child profile and return it as stored.
+
+    Requires a valid admin JWT (the router's shared
+    :func:`~api.auth.require_admin` dependency — the ONE check; this
+    handler performs NO auth of its own).  Thin adapter: the body model
+    carries the shape, and the name policy (trim, reject empty), the
+    duplicate-name warning and the created_at stamp all live in
+    :func:`nestquest_core.children.create_child`.  Errors are mapped by
+    :func:`_raise_child_error` — create names no existing child, so a
+    rejection here is always 422.
+    """
+    state: DatabaseState = request.app.state.db
+    try:
+        record = await core_children.create_child(
+            state.database,
+            body.display_name,
+            colour=body.colour,
+            avatar_ref=body.avatar_ref,
+            sort_order=body.sort_order,
+        )
+    except ValueError as error:
+        _raise_child_error(error)
+    return _child_response(record)
+
+
+@router.patch(
+    "/children/{child_id}",
+    summary="Edit a child profile",
+    response_model=AdminChildResponse,
+)
+async def admin_edit_child(
+    child_id: int, body: AdminChildEditRequest, request: Request
+) -> AdminChildResponse:
+    """Edit a child profile; only supplied fields change.
+
+    Requires a valid admin JWT (the router's shared
+    :func:`~api.auth.require_admin` dependency — the ONE check; this
+    handler performs NO auth of its own).  Thin adapter: the supplied
+    fields are forwarded with ``exclude_unset`` semantics so an omitted
+    field is never passed to :func:`nestquest_core.children.edit_child`
+    and stays unchanged, while an explicit ``null`` is passed and
+    rejected by the core (clearing is not supported).  An unknown child
+    id is mapped to 404 and any other core ``ValueError`` to 422
+    (:func:`_raise_child_error`).
+    """
+    state: DatabaseState = request.app.state.db
+    try:
+        record = await core_children.edit_child(
+            state.database,
+            child_id,
+            **body.model_dump(exclude_unset=True),
+        )
+    except ValueError as error:
+        _raise_child_error(error)
+    return _child_response(record)
+
+
+@router.patch(
+    "/children/{child_id}/active",
+    summary="Set a child's active flag",
+    response_model=AdminChildResponse,
+)
+async def admin_set_child_active(
+    child_id: int, body: AdminChildActiveRequest, request: Request
+) -> AdminChildResponse:
+    """Deactivate (or reactivate) a child; the profile is NEVER deleted.
+
+    Requires a valid admin JWT (the router's shared
+    :func:`~api.auth.require_admin` dependency — the ONE check; this
+    handler performs NO auth of its own).  Thin adapter: ``is_active``
+    is passed straight to
+    :func:`nestquest_core.children.set_child_active` — deactivation is
+    the only removal path (the core has no delete, so completion
+    history keeps its references).  An unknown child id is mapped to
+    404 (:func:`_raise_child_error`); the body model already makes the
+    core's real-bool check unreachable from this route.
+    """
+    state: DatabaseState = request.app.state.db
+    try:
+        record = await core_children.set_child_active(
+            state.database, child_id, body.is_active
+        )
+    except ValueError as error:
+        _raise_child_error(error)
+    return _child_response(record)
+
+
+@router.post(
+    "/children/reorder",
+    summary="Reorder the children's panel display order",
+)
+async def admin_reorder_children(
+    body: AdminChildReorderRequest, request: Request
+) -> dict[str, str]:
+    """Rewrite the children's display order in one atomic core call.
+
+    Requires a valid admin JWT (the router's shared
+    :func:`~api.auth.require_admin` dependency — the ONE check; this
+    handler performs NO auth of its own).  Thin adapter: the posted id
+    order goes straight to
+    :func:`nestquest_core.children.reorder_children`, which rejects a
+    list that is not a complete permutation of the household (missing,
+    duplicate, or unknown ids) BEFORE any write — mapped to 422 by
+    :func:`_raise_child_error`, leaving the stored order untouched.  On
+    success the core returns ``None``; the route answers
+    ``{"status": "ok"}`` (the fresh order is read back via
+    ``GET /children``).
+    """
+    state: DatabaseState = request.app.state.db
+    try:
+        await core_children.reorder_children(
+            state.database, body.ordered_ids
+        )
+    except ValueError as error:
+        _raise_child_error(error)
+    return {"status": "ok"}
+
+
 __all__ = ["router"]
diff --git a/tests/admin_jwt_harness.py b/tests/admin_jwt_harness.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7c19467
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/admin_jwt_harness.py
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+"""Shared admin-plane JWT test harness: local keys, stubbed JWKS.
+
+The admin-plane API test modules share ONE harness instead of
+duplicating it: the auth contract tests (:mod:`tests.test_api_admin_auth`)
+and the children route tests (:mod:`tests.test_api_admin_children`) both
+drive the ASGI app with httpx using a locally generated RSA key pair and
+a stubbed JWKS fetcher — NO network access:
+
+- ``ADMIN_KEY`` signs the test tokens; :func:`jwks_for` builds the JWKS
+  document publishing its public half, so genuinely signed tokens
+  verify, and tokens signed with the second pair (``OTHER_KEY``) fail
+  the signature check for real.
+- :func:`make_token` mints one RS256 JWT the way Authentik would (its
+  claims, our key), defaulting ``groups`` to the admin group a real
+  admin's token carries.
+- :class:`StubbedFetch` is the counting JWKS fetcher stub.
+- :class:`AdminRunner` runs the app's lifespan around an httpx
+  AsyncClient (httpx's ASGI transport does not run the lifespan, so it
+  is driven explicitly and shut down in ``__aexit__``'s finally block
+  even on failure) with the app's JWKS cache swapped for one built
+  around the stub fetcher.
+
+The harness carries no tests itself; the ``admin_client`` fixture in
+``tests/conftest.py`` hands its runner to the test modules.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import base64
+import time
+
+import httpx
+import jwt
+from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric import rsa
+
+from api.app import create_app
+from api.auth import ADMIN_GROUP, JwksCache
+from api.config import ApiConfig
+
+#: The configured OIDC settings the test apps run with (values a real
+#: deployment would get from the NESTQUEST_OIDC_* environment vars).
+ISSUER = "https://authentik.example.com/application/o/nestquest/"
+AUDIENCE = "nestquest-api"
+JWKS_URL = "https://authentik.example.com/application/o/nestquest/jwks/"
+
+#: The ``kid`` the test tokens carry, matching the JWKS entry.
+KID = "admin-test-key-1"
+
+#: The subject a valid token authenticates as.
+SUBJECT = "admin-user-1"
+
+
+def _generate_key() -> rsa.RSAPrivateKey:
+    """Generate one local RSA key pair (no network, no fixtures)."""
+    return rsa.generate_private_key(public_exponent=65537, key_size=2048)
+
+
+#: The key pair whose PUBLIC half the stubbed JWKS publishes — tokens
+#: signed with it verify; the second pair below proves they don't when
+#: signed otherwise.
+ADMIN_KEY = _generate_key()
+OTHER_KEY = _generate_key()
+
+
+def _b64url_uint(value: int) -> str:
+    """Base64url-encode a non-negative integer (no padding), per JWK."""
+    raw = value.to_bytes((value.bit_length() + 7) // 8, "big")
+    return base64.urlsafe_b64encode(raw).rstrip(b"=").decode("ascii")
+
+
+def jwks_for(private_key: rsa.RSAPrivateKey, kid: str) -> dict[str, object]:
+    """Build a JWKS document publishing ``private_key``'s public half."""
+    numbers = private_key.public_key().public_numbers()
+    return {
+        "keys": [
+            {
+                "kty": "RSA",
+                "use": "sig",
+                "alg": "RS256",
+                "kid": kid,
+                "n": _b64url_uint(numbers.n),
+                "e": _b64url_uint(numbers.e),
+            }
+        ]
+    }
+
+
+class StubbedFetch:
+    """A JWKS fetcher stub: returns a fixed document, counts calls."""
+
+    def __init__(self, document: dict[str, object]) -> None:
+        self.document = document
+        self.calls = 0
+
+    async def __call__(self, url: str) -> dict[str, object]:
+        self.calls += 1
+        return self.document
+
+
+def make_token(
+    signing_key: rsa.RSAPrivateKey = ADMIN_KEY,
+    *,
+    kid: str | None = KID,
+    iss: str = ISSUER,
+    aud: object = AUDIENCE,
+    sub: str = SUBJECT,
+    expires_in: int | None = 300,
+    nbf_in: int | None = -1,
+    groups: object = (ADMIN_GROUP,),
+) -> str:
+    """Mint one RS256 JWT the way Authentik would (its claims, our key).
+
+    ``groups`` defaults to the admin group (what a real admin user's
+    token carries); tests pass a different value — or ``None`` for NO
+    groups claim at all — to prove the group gate rejects it.
+    """
+    now = int(time.time())
+    claims: dict[str, object] = {"iss": iss, "aud": aud, "sub": sub, "iat": now}
+    if groups is not None:
+        claims["groups"] = (
+            list(groups) if isinstance(groups, (list, tuple)) else groups
+        )
+    if nbf_in is not None:
+        claims["nbf"] = now + nbf_in
+    if expires_in is not None:
+        claims["exp"] = now + expires_in
+    headers: dict[str, str] = {}
+    if kid is not None:
+        headers["kid"] = kid
+    return jwt.encode(
+        claims, signing_key, algorithm="RS256", headers=headers
+    )
+
+
+class AdminRunner:
+    """Run the app's lifespan around an httpx AsyncClient.
+
+    Same pattern as test_api_health.py's ``_AppRunner``: httpx's ASGI
+    transport does not run the lifespan, so it is driven explicitly and
+    shut down in ``__aexit__``'s finally block even on failure.
+
+    The app's JWKS cache is replaced (before the lifespan runs) with
+    one built around a counting stub fetcher, so verification goes
+    through the REAL cache logic but never the network.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        db_path: str,
+        jwks_document: dict[str, object],
+        *,
+        ttl_seconds: float | None = None,
+        backoff_seconds: float | None = None,
+        kid_refetch_seconds: float | None = None,
+    ) -> None:
+        self.app = create_app(
+            ApiConfig(
+                db_path=db_path,
+                panel_token="admin-test-panel-token",
+                oidc_issuer=ISSUER,
+                oidc_audience=AUDIENCE,
+                oidc_jwks_url=JWKS_URL,
+            )
+        )
+        self.fetch = StubbedFetch(jwks_document)
+        cache_kwargs: dict[str, float] = {}
+        if ttl_seconds is not None:
+            cache_kwargs["ttl_seconds"] = ttl_seconds
+        if backoff_seconds is not None:
+            cache_kwargs["backoff_seconds"] = backoff_seconds
+        if kid_refetch_seconds is not None:
+            cache_kwargs["kid_refetch_seconds"] = kid_refetch_seconds
+        self.app.state.jwks_cache = JwksCache(
+            JWKS_URL, fetcher=self.fetch, **cache_kwargs
+        )
+
+    async def __aenter__(self) -> httpx.AsyncClient:
+        self._lifespan = self.app.router.lifespan_context(self.app)
+        await self._lifespan.__aenter__()
+        self._client = httpx.AsyncClient(
+            transport=httpx.ASGITransport(app=self.app),
+            base_url="http://testserver",
+        )
+        return await self._client.__aenter__()
+
+    async def __aexit__(self, *exc) -> None:
+        try:
+            await self._client.__aexit__(*exc)
+        finally:
+            await self._lifespan.__aexit__(*exc)
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 1e4b728..ece6b88 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -33,8 +33,11 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from types import SimpleNamespace
 from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
 
+import httpx
 import pytest
 
+from tests.admin_jwt_harness import ADMIN_KEY, KID, AdminRunner, jwks_for
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Homeassistant module provisioning (explicitly mock-only).
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -953,4 +956,25 @@ def freeze_nestquest_clock(
         date=datetime.date,
     )
     monkeypatch.setattr(nestquest, "datetime", fake_module)
-    return frozen, requested
\ No newline at end of file
+    return frozen, requested
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Admin-plane API fixtures (shared by the admin-plane test modules).
+#
+# The local-key/stubbed-JWKS harness itself lives in
+# :mod:`tests.admin_jwt_harness` (imported by name, the same pattern as
+# tests.blueprint_helpers); these fixtures hand its runner to every test
+# module in tests/ without re-declaring it.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+@pytest.fixture
+def temp_db_path(tmp_path: Path) -> str:
+    """A fresh per-test SQLite path under pytest's tmp_path."""
+    return str(tmp_path / "nestquest.db")
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+async def admin_client(temp_db_path: str) -> httpx.AsyncClient:
+    """An app client whose provider publishes the admin test key."""
+    async with AdminRunner(temp_db_path, jwks_for(ADMIN_KEY, KID)) as client:
+        yield client
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_api_admin_auth.py b/tests/test_api_admin_auth.py
index e1a19ad..c9dbd05 100644
--- a/tests/test_api_admin_auth.py
+++ b/tests/test_api_admin_auth.py
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@
 
 These tests exercise the NestQuest API's admin plane against the ASGI
 app with httpx, using a locally generated RSA key pair and a stubbed
-JWKS fetcher — NO network access:
+JWKS fetcher — NO network access.  That harness (the key pairs, the
+JWKS builder, the token minting and the app runner) is shared with the
+other admin-plane route tests in :mod:`tests.admin_jwt_harness`; this
+module imports it and proves the auth CONTRACT itself:
 
 - ``GET /api/v1/admin/ping`` requires a valid Authentik OIDC JWT: a
   request with NO ``Authorization`` header and a MALFORMED header
@@ -41,28 +44,24 @@ import asyncio
 import base64
 import json
 import time
-from pathlib import Path
 
 import httpx
-import jwt
 import pytest
-from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric import rsa
 
-from api.app import create_app
-from api.auth import ADMIN_GROUP, JwksCache
+from api.auth import JwksCache
 from api.config import ApiConfig, ConfigError
-
-#: The configured OIDC settings the test apps run with (values a real
-#: deployment would get from the NESTQUEST_OIDC_* environment vars).
-ISSUER = "https://authentik.example.com/application/o/nestquest/"
-AUDIENCE = "nestquest-api"
-JWKS_URL = "https://authentik.example.com/application/o/nestquest/jwks/"
-
-#: The ``kid`` the test tokens carry, matching the JWKS entry.
-KID = "admin-test-key-1"
-
-#: The subject a valid token authenticates as.
-SUBJECT = "admin-user-1"
+from tests.admin_jwt_harness import (
+    ADMIN_KEY,
+    AUDIENCE,
+    ISSUER,
+    JWKS_URL,
+    KID,
+    OTHER_KEY,
+    SUBJECT,
+    AdminRunner as _AdminRunner,
+    jwks_for as _jwks_for,
+    make_token as _make_token,
+)
 
 #: The uniform 401 detail every rejection must carry.
 REJECTION_DETAIL = "Missing or invalid admin credentials"
@@ -78,53 +77,6 @@ FORBIDDEN_DETAIL = (
 )
 
 
-def _generate_key() -> rsa.RSAPrivateKey:
-    """Generate one local RSA key pair (no network, no fixtures)."""
-    return rsa.generate_private_key(public_exponent=65537, key_size=2048)
-
-
-#: The key pair whose PUBLIC half the stubbed JWKS publishes — tokens
-#: signed with it verify; the second pair below proves they don't when
-#: signed otherwise.
-ADMIN_KEY = _generate_key()
-OTHER_KEY = _generate_key()
-
-
-def _b64url_uint(value: int) -> str:
-    """Base64url-encode a non-negative integer (no padding), per JWK."""
-    raw = value.to_bytes((value.bit_length() + 7) // 8, "big")
-    return base64.urlsafe_b64encode(raw).rstrip(b"=").decode("ascii")
-
-
-def _jwks_for(private_key: rsa.RSAPrivateKey, kid: str) -> dict[str, object]:
-    """Build a JWKS document publishing ``private_key``'s public half."""
-    numbers = private_key.public_key().public_numbers()
-    return {
-        "keys": [
-            {
-                "kty": "RSA",
-                "use": "sig",
-                "alg": "RS256",
-                "kid": kid,
-                "n": _b64url_uint(numbers.n),
-                "e": _b64url_uint(numbers.e),
-            }
-        ]
-    }
-
-
-class _StubbedFetch:
-    """A JWKS fetcher stub: returns a fixed document, counts calls."""
-
-    def __init__(self, document: dict[str, object]) -> None:
-        self.document = document
-        self.calls = 0
-
-    async def __call__(self, url: str) -> dict[str, object]:
-        self.calls += 1
-        return self.document
-
-
 class _FailingFetch:
     """A JWKS fetcher stub that always fails, counting the attempts."""
 
@@ -164,41 +116,6 @@ class _FailThenServe:
         return self.document
 
 
-def _make_token(
-    signing_key: rsa.RSAPrivateKey = ADMIN_KEY,
-    *,
-    kid: str | None = KID,
-    iss: str = ISSUER,
-    aud: object = AUDIENCE,
-    sub: str = SUBJECT,
-    expires_in: int | None = 300,
-    nbf_in: int | None = -1,
-    groups: object = (ADMIN_GROUP,),
-) -> str:
-    """Mint one RS256 JWT the way Authentik would (its claims, our key).
-
-    ``groups`` defaults to the admin group (what a real admin user's
-    token carries); tests pass a different value — or ``None`` for NO
-    groups claim at all — to prove the group gate rejects it.
-    """
-    now = int(time.time())
-    claims: dict[str, object] = {"iss": iss, "aud": aud, "sub": sub, "iat": now}
-    if groups is not None:
-        claims["groups"] = (
-            list(groups) if isinstance(groups, (list, tuple)) else groups
-        )
-    if nbf_in is not None:
-        claims["nbf"] = now + nbf_in
-    if expires_in is not None:
-        claims["exp"] = now + expires_in
-    headers: dict[str, str] = {}
-    if kid is not None:
-        headers["kid"] = kid
-    return jwt.encode(
-        claims, signing_key, algorithm="RS256", headers=headers
-    )
-
-
 def _token_with_header(
     header: dict[str, object], payload: dict[str, object]
 ) -> str:
@@ -226,79 +143,6 @@ def _verified_payload() -> dict[str, object]:
     }
 
 
-class _AdminRunner:
-    """Run the app's lifespan around an httpx AsyncClient.
-
-    Same pattern as test_api_health.py's ``_AppRunner``: httpx's ASGI
-    transport does not run the lifespan, so it is driven explicitly and
-    shut down in ``__aexit__``'s finally block even on failure.
-
-    The app's JWKS cache is replaced (before the lifespan runs) with
-    one built around a counting stub fetcher, so verification goes
-    through the REAL cache logic but never the network.
-    """
-
-    def __init__(
-        self,
-        db_path: str,
-        jwks_document: dict[str, object],
-        *,
-        ttl_seconds: float | None = None,
-        backoff_seconds: float | None = None,
-        kid_refetch_seconds: float | None = None,
-    ) -> None:
-        self.app = create_app(
-            ApiConfig(
-                db_path=db_path,
-                panel_token="admin-test-panel-token",
-                oidc_issuer=ISSUER,
-                oidc_audience=AUDIENCE,
-                oidc_jwks_url=JWKS_URL,
-            )
-        )
-        self.fetch = _StubbedFetch(jwks_document)
-        cache_kwargs: dict[str, float] = {}
-        if ttl_seconds is not None:
-            cache_kwargs["ttl_seconds"] = ttl_seconds
-        if backoff_seconds is not None:
-            cache_kwargs["backoff_seconds"] = backoff_seconds
-        if kid_refetch_seconds is not None:
-            cache_kwargs["kid_refetch_seconds"] = kid_refetch_seconds
-        self.app.state.jwks_cache = JwksCache(
-            JWKS_URL, fetcher=self.fetch, **cache_kwargs
-        )
-
-    async def __aenter__(self) -> httpx.AsyncClient:
-        self._lifespan = self.app.router.lifespan_context(self.app)
-        await self._lifespan.__aenter__()
-        self._client = httpx.AsyncClient(
-            transport=httpx.ASGITransport(app=self.app),
-            base_url="http://testserver",
-        )
-        return await self._client.__aenter__()
-
-    async def __aexit__(self, *exc) -> None:
-        try:
-            await self._client.__aexit__(*exc)
-        finally:
-            await self._lifespan.__aexit__(*exc)
-
-
-@pytest.fixture
-def temp_db_path(tmp_path: Path) -> str:
-    """A fresh per-test SQLite path under pytest's tmp_path."""
-    return str(tmp_path / "nestquest.db")
-
-
-@pytest.fixture
-async def admin_client(
-    temp_db_path: str,
-) -> httpx.AsyncClient:
-    """An app client whose provider publishes the admin test key."""
-    async with _AdminRunner(temp_db_path, _jwks_for(ADMIN_KEY, KID)) as client:
-        yield client
-
-
 # --- the happy path -------------------------------------------------------
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_api_admin_children.py b/tests/test_api_admin_children.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..248f049
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_api_admin_children.py
@@ -0,0 +1,464 @@
+"""Admin-plane children route tests (task e4845baa).
+
+These tests exercise the admin plane's children routes against the
+ASGI app with httpx, reusing the shared local-RSA-key/stubbed-JWKS
+harness (:mod:`tests.admin_jwt_harness`) so an admin JWT genuinely
+authenticates — signature, issuer, audience, expiry and the
+nestquest-admins group — with NO network access.
+
+Every done-condition case is proven against the DATABASE, read through
+the SAME core copy the app uses (``nestquest_core.*``; see the two-copy
+caveat in api/nestquest_core.py):
+
+- Authentication runs through the router's ONE ``require_admin``
+  dependency: an admin JWT passes, a JWT without the group is 403, an
+  absent credential is 401 — and no row is written.
+- ``POST /api/v1/admin/children``: the created child EXISTS with the
+  given display name (and the optional colour/avatar_ref/sort_order).
+- ``PATCH /api/v1/admin/children/{id}``: an edit PERSISTS the supplied
+  fields and leaves omitted fields untouched (exclude_unset semantics —
+  an omitted field is never passed to the core).
+- ``PATCH /api/v1/admin/children/{id}/active`` with ``is_active: false``
+  sets the active flag FALSE and the row STILL EXISTS (children are
+  never hard-deleted).
+- ``POST /api/v1/admin/children/reorder``: the posted order becomes the
+  rows' sort_order; a list that is not a complete permutation is 422
+  and leaves the stored order untouched.
+
+Error mapping (documented in api/routes_admin.py): a core ValueError
+for a non-existent child is 404; every other core ValueError (an empty
+display name, an explicit null colour, a bad permutation) is 422 — the
+same failure class FastAPI reports for malformed bodies.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import importlib
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import httpx
+import pytest
+
+from tests.admin_jwt_harness import (
+    ADMIN_KEY,
+    KID,
+    AdminRunner,
+    jwks_for,
+    make_token,
+)
+
+# The children business layer through the SAME core copy the app uses
+# (nestquest_core.*, NOT the conftest-stubbed custom_components copy) —
+# used for the tests' database assertions only; the routes reach it
+# through api.nestquest_core.
+_children = importlib.import_module("nestquest_core.children")
+
+
+def _admin_headers() -> dict[str, str]:
+    """The Authorization header of a valid nestquest-admins JWT."""
+    return {"Authorization": f"Bearer {make_token()}"}
+
+
+async def _children_by_id(database: object) -> dict[int, object]:
+    """Every child row through the app's core copy, keyed by id."""
+    records = await _children.list_children(database)
+    return {record.id: record for record in records}
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+async def admin_children(temp_db_path: str) -> SimpleNamespace:
+    """An admin-plane app client plus its live database.
+
+    The same runner the auth tests use (stubbed JWKS, no network); the
+    fixture also exposes the app's ONE database connection so tests
+    assert the routes' effects on the stored rows themselves.
+    """
+    runner = AdminRunner(temp_db_path, jwks_for(ADMIN_KEY, KID))
+    async with runner as client:
+        yield SimpleNamespace(
+            client=client,
+            database=runner.app.state.db.database,
+        )
+
+
+# --- authentication: the ONE require_admin dependency guards every route ---
+
+
+async def test_children_routes_refuse_non_admin_and_absent_credentials(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """A non-admin JWT is 403, an absent credential is 401: nothing written."""
+    client = admin_children.client
+    body = {"display_name": "Ada"}
+    non_admin = make_token(groups=("some-other-group",))
+
+    forbidden = await client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children",
+        json=body,
+        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {non_admin}"},
+    )
+    assert forbidden.status_code == 403
+    assert forbidden.json()["detail"] == (
+        "Admin access requires membership in the nestquest-admins group"
+    )
+
+    unauthenticated = await client.post("/api/v1/admin/children", json=body)
+    assert unauthenticated.status_code == 401
+
+    unauthenticated_list = await client.get("/api/v1/admin/children")
+    assert unauthenticated_list.status_code == 401
+
+    # No route ran its handler: the household is still empty.
+    assert await _children_by_id(admin_children.database) == {}
+
+
+# --- create -----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+async def test_create_child_persists_the_given_name(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """POST /children creates the row; the child exists with that name."""
+    response = await admin_children.client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children",
+        json={
+            "display_name": "Ada",
+            "colour": "#ff8800",
+            "avatar_ref": "avatar:bee",
+            "sort_order": 2,
+        },
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 201
+    body = response.json()
+    assert body["display_name"] == "Ada"
+    assert body["colour"] == "#ff8800"
+    assert body["avatar_ref"] == "avatar:bee"
+    assert body["sort_order"] == 2
+    assert body["is_active"] is True
+
+    stored = (await _children_by_id(admin_children.database))[body["id"]]
+    assert stored.display_name == "Ada"
+    assert stored.colour == "#ff8800"
+    assert stored.avatar_ref == "avatar:bee"
+    assert stored.sort_order == 2
+    assert stored.is_active is True
+
+
+async def test_create_child_with_only_a_name_uses_core_defaults(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """Omitted optional fields default through the core layer."""
+    response = await admin_children.client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children",
+        json={"display_name": "Bo"},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 201
+    stored = (await _children_by_id(admin_children.database))[
+        response.json()["id"]
+    ]
+    assert stored.display_name == "Bo"
+    assert stored.colour is None
+    assert stored.avatar_ref is None
+    assert stored.sort_order == 0
+    assert stored.is_active is True
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "body",
+    [
+        {},  # display_name missing
+        {"display_name": 5},  # wrong type
+        {"display_name": ""},  # empty: the core rejects it
+        {"display_name": "   "},  # whitespace-only: empty to a parent
+        {"display_name": "Ada", "sort_order": "first"},  # wrong type
+    ],
+)
+async def test_create_child_malformed_input_is_422(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace, body: dict[str, object]
+) -> None:
+    """Malformed bodies are 422 and never create a row."""
+    response = await admin_children.client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children", json=body, headers=_admin_headers()
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 422
+    assert await _children_by_id(admin_children.database) == {}
+
+
+# --- edit -------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+async def test_edit_child_persists_supplied_fields_and_skips_omitted_ones(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """PATCH persists exactly the supplied fields (exclude_unset)."""
+    client = admin_children.client
+    created = await client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children",
+        json={
+            "display_name": "Ada",
+            "colour": "#ff8800",
+            "avatar_ref": "avatar:bee",
+        },
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert created.status_code == 201
+    child_id = created.json()["id"]
+
+    # Only display_name and sort_order: colour/avatar_ref must survive.
+    edited = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/v1/admin/children/{child_id}",
+        json={"display_name": "Ada Lovelace", "sort_order": 4},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert edited.status_code == 200
+    assert edited.json()["display_name"] == "Ada Lovelace"
+    assert edited.json()["sort_order"] == 4
+    stored = (await _children_by_id(admin_children.database))[child_id]
+    assert stored.display_name == "Ada Lovelace"
+    assert stored.sort_order == 4
+    # The omitted fields were never passed to the core: unchanged.
+    assert stored.colour == "#ff8800"
+    assert stored.avatar_ref == "avatar:bee"
+
+    # A second edit touching only colour leaves the name alone.
+    recoloured = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/v1/admin/children/{child_id}",
+        json={"colour": "#00aa55"},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert recoloured.status_code == 200
+    stored = (await _children_by_id(admin_children.database))[child_id]
+    assert stored.colour == "#00aa55"
+    assert stored.display_name == "Ada Lovelace"
+
+
+async def test_edit_unknown_child_is_404(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """An edit naming a child that does not exist is 404."""
+    response = await admin_children.client.patch(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children/999",
+        json={"display_name": "Nobody"},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 404
+    assert response.json()["detail"] == "Child not found"
+
+
+async def test_edit_explicit_null_colour_is_422_and_changes_nothing(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """An explicit null (clearing) is passed through and rejected by the core.
+
+    Only the fields the request SUPPLIES are forwarded: a null colour is
+    a supplied None, which the core refuses (the DAO cannot express
+    NULL) — mapped to 422, with the stored colour left untouched.
+    """
+    created = await admin_children.client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children",
+        json={"display_name": "Ada", "colour": "#ff8800"},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    child_id = created.json()["id"]
+    response = await admin_children.client.patch(
+        f"/api/v1/admin/children/{child_id}",
+        json={"colour": None},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 422
+    stored = (await _children_by_id(admin_children.database))[child_id]
+    assert stored.colour == "#ff8800"
+
+
+# --- set_active -------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+async def test_deactivation_sets_the_flag_false_and_never_deletes(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """is_active=false deactivates the row; the row STILL exists."""
+    client = admin_children.client
+    created = await client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children",
+        json={"display_name": "Ada"},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    child_id = created.json()["id"]
+
+    deactivated = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/v1/admin/children/{child_id}/active",
+        json={"is_active": False},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert deactivated.status_code == 200
+    assert deactivated.json()["is_active"] is False
+
+    # Database proof: the flag is False and the row was NOT hard-deleted.
+    rows = await _children_by_id(admin_children.database)
+    stored = rows[child_id]
+    assert stored.is_active is False
+    assert stored.display_name == "Ada"
+
+    # Reactivation goes through the same route: the flag is set, not
+    # one-way.
+    reactivated = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/v1/admin/children/{child_id}/active",
+        json={"is_active": True},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert reactivated.status_code == 200
+    assert reactivated.json()["is_active"] is True
+    rows = await _children_by_id(admin_children.database)
+    assert rows[child_id].is_active is True
+
+
+async def test_set_active_unknown_child_is_404(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """A set_active naming a child that does not exist is 404."""
+    response = await admin_children.client.patch(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children/999/active",
+        json={"is_active": False},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 404
+    assert response.json()["detail"] == "Child not found"
+
+
+async def test_set_active_malformed_body_is_422(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """A non-bool is_active is rejected by the body model (422)."""
+    response = await admin_children.client.patch(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children/1/active",
+        json={"is_active": "maybe"},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 422
+
+
+# --- reorder ----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+async def test_reorder_writes_the_posted_order_to_sort_order(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """The posted id order becomes the rows' sort_order."""
+    client = admin_children.client
+    ids = []
+    for name in ("Ada", "Bo", "Cyd"):
+        created = await client.post(
+            "/api/v1/admin/children",
+            json={"display_name": name},
+            headers=_admin_headers(),
+        )
+        assert created.status_code == 201
+        ids.append(created.json()["id"])
+
+    response = await client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children/reorder",
+        json={"ordered_ids": [ids[2], ids[0], ids[1]]},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    assert response.json() == {"status": "ok"}
+
+    # Database proof: each posted position became that child's sort_order.
+    rows = await _children_by_id(admin_children.database)
+    assert rows[ids[2]].sort_order == 0
+    assert rows[ids[0]].sort_order == 1
+    assert rows[ids[1]].sort_order == 2
+
+
+async def test_reorder_rejects_non_permutations_and_writes_nothing(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """A list that is not a complete permutation is 422, order intact.
+
+    The core rejects the list BEFORE any write, so the stored sort_order
+    values survive every rejected call unchanged.
+    """
+    client = admin_children.client
+    ids = []
+    for name in ("Ada", "Bo"):
+        created = await client.post(
+            "/api/v1/admin/children",
+            json={"display_name": name},
+            headers=_admin_headers(),
+        )
+        assert created.status_code == 201
+        ids.append(created.json()["id"])
+
+    bad_lists = [
+        ids[:1],  # partial: missing an existing child
+        [ids[0], ids[0], ids[1]],  # duplicate id
+        [*ids, ids[1] + 999],  # unknown id
+    ]
+    for ordered_ids in bad_lists:
+        response = await client.post(
+            "/api/v1/admin/children/reorder",
+            json={"ordered_ids": ordered_ids},
+            headers=_admin_headers(),
+        )
+        assert response.status_code == 422, ordered_ids
+
+    # A non-integer id never reaches the core either (body model).
+    malformed = await client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children/reorder",
+        json={"ordered_ids": ["first", "second"]},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert malformed.status_code == 422
+
+    # Database proof: no write happened for any rejected call.
+    rows = await _children_by_id(admin_children.database)
+    assert [rows[child_id].sort_order for child_id in ids] == [0, 0]
+
+
+# --- list (the read model the admin PWA re-renders from) ---------------------
+
+
+async def test_list_children_returns_all_in_display_order(
+    admin_children: SimpleNamespace,
+) -> None:
+    """GET /children returns every child (inactive included) in order."""
+    client = admin_children.client
+    ada = await client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children",
+        json={"display_name": "Ada", "sort_order": 5},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    bo = await client.post(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children",
+        json={"display_name": "Bo", "sort_order": 1},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    deactivated = await client.patch(
+        f"/api/v1/admin/children/{ada.json()['id']}/active",
+        json={"is_active": False},
+        headers=_admin_headers(),
+    )
+    assert deactivated.status_code == 200
+
+    response = await client.get(
+        "/api/v1/admin/children", headers=_admin_headers()
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    children = response.json()["children"]
+    assert [child["id"] for child in children] == [
+        bo.json()["id"],
+        ada.json()["id"],
+    ]
+    by_id = {child["id"]: child for child in children}
+    assert by_id[ada.json()["id"]]["is_active"] is False
+    assert by_id[bo.json()["id"]]["is_active"] is True
+    # The serialized shape is the documented child payload.
+    assert set(by_id[bo.json()["id"]]) == {
+        "id",
+        "display_name",
+        "colour",
+        "avatar_ref",
+        "sort_order",
+        "is_active",
+    }