Family head clamps down on care time limit, but hails pioneering court – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 17th, 2014 in care orders, courts, drug abuse, family courts, news, time limits by tracey

‘The Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) must be a “vital component” of the unified Family Court, the head of the Family Division said in a judgment highlighting the need for strict adherence to the time limit for resolving care cases.’

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Family Law Week, 16th April 2014

Source: www.lawsocietygazette.co.uk

Is Time Running Out For Section 20 of The Children Act? – Family Law Week

Posted April 17th, 2014 in birth, care orders, children, local government, news, social services, time limits by tracey

‘Julie Stather, barrister of 42 Bedford Row, examines the recent use of section 20 and considers its future in the light of the impending 26 week limit for care proceedings.’

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Family Law Week, 16th April 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Plan to give adopted children new identities to stop birth parents finding them – Daily Telegraph

‘Social services ask High Court to give two young children new names and even cut links with other siblings to protect them from abusive parents.’

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Daily Telegraph, 3rd April 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Care Proceedings: Who is Best Placed to Provide Best Evidence? – Family Law Week

‘Eleanor Battie, barrister of Crown Office Row, Brighton, asks whether the demand for speed in care proceedings is at the cost of best expert evidence.’

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Family Law Week, 1st April 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) becomes part of the Ministry of Justice – Ministry of Justice

‘The welfare of children will be brought closer to the family court system as key safeguarding organisation Cafcass joins the Ministry of Justice, Family Justice Minister Simon Hughes has announced.’

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Ministry of Justice, 1st April 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Judge orders toddler to be returned to parents after nearly a year in care – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 1st, 2014 in care orders, child abuse, children, news, personal injuries, social services by sally

‘A little boy who suffered brain injuries after falling from a bed should be returned to his parents after being taken into care nearly a year ago amid, the High Court has ruled.’

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Daily Telegraph, 31st March 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Care Proceedings: The European Dimension – Family Law Week

‘Michael Jones, barrister of 15 Winckley Square Chambers, offers a guide to practitioners conducting care proceedings involving families with European origins.’

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Family Law Week, 25th March 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Judge to probe ‘jihadist’ claims over boys, aged 11 and 12 – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 12th, 2014 in care orders, children, families, inciting religious hatred, Islam, news by tracey

‘Two young brothers could be taken into care after their mother warned they were being radicalised with extremist Islamist views by her estranged husband, the High Court was told.’

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Daily Telegraph, 12th March 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Boy fed nine litres of goat milk a day cannot stay with his mother, court rules – The Independent

Posted March 7th, 2014 in care orders, children, food, mental health, news, parental responsibility by tracey

‘A boy who was fed nine litres of goat’s milk a day for six months will not be allowed to live with his mother, a senior family court judge has ruled.’

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The Independent, 6th March 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Nottingham City Council v LM and others – WLR Daily

Posted February 28th, 2014 in care orders, children, conflict of laws, EC law, jurisdiction, law reports by sally

Nottingham City Council v LM and others [2014] EWCA Civ 152; [2014] WLR (D) 92

‘Jurisdiction had to be considered in every children case with an international element and at the earliest opportunity, particularly when the proceedings were issued and at the case management hearing.’

WLR Daily, 21st February 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Split Hearings in Care Proceedings: a Thing of the Past? – Family Law Week

Posted February 18th, 2014 in appeals, care orders, family courts, news, split hearings by sally

‘Michael Jones, barrister of 15 Winckley Square Chambers, reviews the recent Court of Appeal judgment in S (A Child) [2014] EWCA Civ 25 and considers its likely consequences.’

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Family Law Week, 18th February 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

In re NL (A Child) (Appeal: Interim Care Order: Facts and Reasons) – WLR Daily

Posted February 17th, 2014 in care orders, delay, family courts, law reports, lists by sally

In re NL (A Child) (Appeal: Interim Care Order: Facts and Reasons) [2014] EWHC 270 (Fam); [2014] WLR (D) 70

‘The case raised issues of practice and procedure arising in the early stages of care proceedings including: (i) the importance of the need to ensure a just and fair assessment process despite the impetus to complete public law cases within 26 weeks, (ii) the alarming and patently wrong practice of justices sitting in the family proceedings court adopting the local authority’s analysis of what their findings and reasons might comprise, and (iii) the importance of listing appeals from interim care orders, where separation had been sanctioned, as a matter of urgency.’

WLR Daily, 13th February 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

When Best Interests Collide: A Protected Party, Protected Party’s Children and the Court of Protection – Family Law Week

‘Sarah Phillimore, barrister of St John’s Chambers, Bristol, and Daniela Nickols, associate solicitor with Mowbray Woodwards, analyse the recent case of X,Y, and Z [2014] EWHC 87 (COP) in which the Court of Protection considered the interplay between the best interests of a protected party and that party’s children.’

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Family Law Week, 5th February 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Woman ordered to stop posting images of two-year-old granddaughter in Facebook ‘campaign’ after she was taken into care – The Independent

Posted January 28th, 2014 in anonymity, care orders, children, grandparents, news by sally

‘A woman has been ordered to stop an online “campaign” against a court’s decision to take her two-year-old granddaughter into care.’

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The Independent, 28th January 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Children: Public Law Update – Family Law Week

‘John Tughan, barrister of 4 Paper Buildings, analyses recent judgments in public law children cases and, in particular, the Re B-S line of authorities.’

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Family Law Week, 24th January 2014

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

‘Clear decision’ could have helped drowned Lowestoft children – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2014 in care orders, child neglect, news, social services by sally

‘More could have been done to help three children who were found drowned after their mother fell to her death from a car park, a report has found.’

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BBC News, 22nd January 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

In re E (A Child) – WLR Daily

In re E (A Child) [2014] EWHC 6 (Fam); [2014] WLR (D) 10

‘In any care or other public law case with a European dimension good practice would now require the court to set out explicitly the basis upon which it had either accepted or rejected jurisdiction and to identify the precise basis upon which it had proceeded. Furthermore, in cases involving foreign nationals there had to be transparency and openness as between the English family courts and the consular and other authorities of the relevant foreign state.’

WLR Daily, 14th January 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Susan Fricker comments on Court of Appeal judgment on jurisdictional issues – Sovereign Chambers

Posted December 12th, 2013 in appeals, care orders, jurisdiction, news by sally

‘Where the jurisdiction of the court is in issue the court should make a prompt determination of jurisdiction at or near the start of proceedings. In this case that determination of jurisdiction should have concluded with a declaration pursuant to BIIR, Article 17, that the English court had no jurisdiction other than the jurisdiction to make short term, provisional protective measures pursuant to BIIR, Article 20.’

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Sovereign Chambers, 4th December 2013

Source: www.sovereignchambers.co.uk

Local Authority Focus – Family Law Week

Posted December 12th, 2013 in care orders, children, fostering, local government, news, social services by sally

‘Sally Gore, barrister of 14 Gray’s Inn Square, in the first of a series of updates for children lawyers and professionals, considers recent developments affecting the decision-making and procedures of local authority children’s services.’

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Family Law Week, 11th December 2013

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

The mother, the C-section baby and ‘secret British court’: a secrecy scandal – or the birth of a scare story? – The Independent

‘The first grim details published about Alessandra Pacchieri’s brief stay in Britain were, as one commentator put it, “the stuff of nightmares”.
Over the past few days, however, a different story has emerged. Transcripts of judgments relating to the case have now been made public and they reveal the nuances behind the apparently callous decisions of judges.’

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The Independent, 6th December 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk