Category: adoption

Sibling relationships in the care system: Alexandra Wilson examines the recent case of Re G [2019] EWFC B70 – 5 SAH

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in adoption, care orders, family courts, fostering, local government, news, social services by sally

A recent podcast on BBC sounds by ‘File on 4’ focused on separated siblings in the care system.

One of the stories is from a woman who explains that she was split from her sister and wasn’t allowed to see her despite her living just five minutes away. She recalls that between their respective foster families’ homes there was a park where she would see her younger sister playing with her foster sister. Breaking down into tears, she explains that she felt hurt, angry, annoyed, sad and “thought it was really, really cruel”.

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5 SAH, 20th January 2020

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

Adoption practices under review amid concerns prospective parents being wrongfully turned away – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 16th, 2020 in adoption, minorities, news, race discrimination by sally

‘Adoption practices are set to be reviewed amid concerns that prospective parents are wrongfully being turned away in the wake of a landmark discrimination case.’

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Daily Telegraph, 16th January 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

White House Farm: Who is Jeremy Bamber? – BBC News

Posted January 8th, 2020 in adoption, families, judicial review, media, murder, news by sally

‘Bamber was found guilty of murdering his adoptive parents, sister and her twin sons after all five were found with gunshot wounds at their Georgian farmhouse in Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Essex, on 7 August 1985, when he was 24.’

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BBC News, 8th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Adoption and race discrimination: Mander – Law & Religion UK

Posted December 10th, 2019 in adoption, human rights, news, race discrimination, Sikhism by sally

‘Sandeep and Reena Mander are of Sikh heritage and were born and brought up in the UK. They identify as part of the wider Sikh community but are not religious:

“They go to Temple a few times a year much as, they say, some of their non-practising Christian friends go to church at Christmas or Easter. They consider themselves culturally British, whilst acknowledging their Indian heritage”.’

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Law & Religion UK, 10th December 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Couple ‘told they couldn’t adopt a white child because of their Indian heritage’ win £120,000 in landmark discrimination case – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 9th, 2019 in adoption, children, damages, equality, families, local government, news, race discrimination by sally

‘A British couple have won nearly £120,000 in damages following a landmark discrimination case after they were told they could not adopt a “white child” because of their Indian heritage.’

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Daily Telegraph, 6th December 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Court of Appeal allows appeal over care and placement orders over failure by judge to give adequately reasoned judgment – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 20th, 2019 in adoption, appeals, care orders, local government, news, placement orders, proportionality, reasons by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal brought by a great-aunt from care and placement orders made by a judge at the conclusion of proceedings concerning a two-year-old boy, J.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th November 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Brothers’ and sisters’ rights in care – Transparency Project

Posted November 18th, 2019 in adoption, appeals, care orders, children, families, human rights, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘Many people believe that we do not pay enough attention to the rights of children in care to stay with, or at least stay in touch with, their brothers and sisters. Our relationships with our brothers and sisters can be the longest and most valuable in our lives but, for a range of reasons, these relationships can be disrupted when children are taken into care – or adopted – and are arguably overlooked by the law.’

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Transparency Project, 17th November 2019

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Judge allows inter-country adoption to proceed despite failure to comply with pre-adoption requirements – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 15th, 2019 in adoption, children, delay, families, immigration, jurisdiction, local government, news, visas by tracey

‘An application for an inter-country adoption should not fail because of inconsequential errors made by the intending adopter, a High Court Family Division judge has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th November 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

John Bowers QC’s Employment Law Blog: October 2019 – Littleton Chambers

Posted October 31st, 2019 in adoption, charities, equality, freedom of expression, homosexuality, housing, Judaism, news by sally

‘In R (ota Z) v LB of Hackney & Agudas Israel Housing Assoc Ltd [2019] EWCA Civ 1099, the court considered a challenge to the housing policies of a charitable provider of social housing in Hackney. Accommodation was allocated by the Housing Association only to members of the Orthodox Jewish community in the Stamford Hill area of London. The Divisional Court found that ‘there are very high levels of poverty and deprivation [amongst the Orthodox community], with associated low levels of home ownership … there is a strong correlation between the evidenced poverty and deprivation and the religion’. It also found that the arrangements for allocating housing which placed Orthodox Jews in a primary position to enable them both to avoid the disadvantages and to meet the needs. This would be unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 unless there was an appropriate exception.’

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Littleton Chambers, 21st October 2019

Source: www.littletonchambers.com

UK couple ‘had 11-year-old son stabbed to death to claim £150,000 insurance payout’ – The Independent

Posted October 18th, 2019 in adoption, children, extradition, India, insurance, murder, news by tracey

‘A couple are facing attempts to extradite them to India over claims they arranged the murder of their 11-year-old adopted son so they could claim a life insurance payout.’

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The Independent, 17th October 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘I am DNA proof my father is a rapist’ – BBC News

Posted August 5th, 2019 in adoption, child abuse, children, DNA, news, rape, sexual offences, victims by tracey

‘A woman conceived by rape wants her father brought to justice in a so-called “victimless prosecution”, in one of the first cases of its kind, the BBC has learned.’

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BBC News, 5th August 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Same-sex and single-parent adoption and religious discrimination: Page – Law & Religion UK

Posted June 26th, 2019 in adoption, appeals, children, disciplinary procedures, employment tribunals, homosexuality, magistrates, news, professional conduct, religious discrimination by sally

‘On 19 June 2019, the Employment Appeal Tribunal handed down two separate judgments relating to the same appellant, Mr Richard Page: Page v Lord Chancellor & Anor [2019] UKEAT 0304 18 1906 and Page v NHS Trust Development Authority [2019] UKEAT 0183 18 1906. The appeals related to Mr Page’s religious beliefs in relation to his position as a magistrate and as a Non-Executive Director of an NHS Trust, respectively; and the EAT dismissed the appeals in both cases. From the legal perspective, the two cases were not “linked” as such because there was no cross-referencing between them. However, the action taken by the Lord Chancellor’s Department resulted, indirectly, in action being instituted by the NHS, and the following note relates to both judgments.’

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Law & Religion UK, 24th June 2019

Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com

Employment Appeal Tribunal hears appeal from Christian ex-magistrate dismissed over adoption comments – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 16th, 2019 in adoption, appeals, children, Christianity, employment tribunals, families, homosexuality, magistrates, news by sally

‘The Employment Appeal Tribunal is this week hearing an appeal from a former magistrate who was removed from the judiciary after he expressed the view that it was in a child’s best interests to be raised by a mother and a father.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th May 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

RE B (A Child) (Post-Adoption Contact) [2019] EWCA Civ 29: What is the Future for Post-Adoption Contact? – Family Law Week

Posted April 25th, 2019 in adoption, children, contact orders, news by tracey

‘The issue of post-adoption contact was recently considered by the Court of Appeal in Re B (A Child) (Post-Adoption Contact) [2019] EWCA Civ 29. This article, written by the solicitor and junior counsel for the appellants, considers the backdrop against which this appeal was made and where this judgment leaves the issue of post-adoption contact.’

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Family Law Week, 18th April 2018

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Court of Appeal decision about orders for post-adoption contact – Transparency Project

Posted March 11th, 2019 in adoption, appeals, children, contact orders, families, fostering, news by sally

‘Re B (A Child) (Post-adoption contact) [2019] EWCA Civ 29 is the first time (since a change in the law in 2014) that the Court of Appeal has considered when an order should be made that an adopted child will have continuing contact with their birth family after he or she is adopted.’

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Transparency Project, 9th March 2019

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Mother has four-year-old son taken from her after failing drug test taken from strand of hair – The Independent

Posted January 21st, 2019 in adoption, care orders, drug abuse, forensic science, news by tracey

‘A mother has been forced to give up her four-year-old son after failing a hair-strand drug test and losing a controversial court battle over his care.’

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The Independent, 20th January 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Anonymisation Guidance – a curtain of secrecy? – Transparency Project

Posted December 11th, 2018 in adoption, anonymity, care orders, children, codes of practice, families, family courts, interpretation, media, news, public interest, social services by sally

‘The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew MacFarlane issued some guidance last week on the anonymisation of published judgments in family court cases.’

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Transparency Project, 10th December 2018

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Case of ex-magistrate challenging top judges moves forward – Family Law

Posted December 6th, 2018 in adoption, employment tribunals, magistrates, news, victimisation by sally

‘Former magistrate Richard Page has been granted permission to take his case against the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice to the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Page is accusing the most senior judges in England and Wales of victimising him for his view that children do best when raised by both a mother and a father.’

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Family Law, 5th December 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Children’s sibling relationships ‘at risk’ in case and adoption proceedings – Family Law

Posted November 5th, 2018 in adoption, children, families, news by sally

‘The significance attached to sibling relationships in care and adoption proceedings can be routinely outweighed by other factors, according to a new report funded by the Nuffield Foundation.’

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Family Law, 2nd November 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

“Wait a Minute, Mr Postman”: Post-Adoption Contact after the Children and Families Act 2014 – Family Law Week

Posted September 27th, 2018 in adoption, contact orders, families, news by tracey

‘Dr Bianca Jackson, barrister, Coram Chambers and co-author of “Public Children Law: Contemporary Issues” examines the issue of post-adoption contact.’

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Family Law Week, 21st September 2018

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk