Woman jailed for faking twins pregnancy to partner – BBC News

Posted March 21st, 2025 in children, deceit, families, imprisonment, news, pregnancy, sentencing by Lily

‘A woman who duped a man into believing they were having twins, until her fake baby bump was exposed in a hospital scan, has been jailed and given a restraining order.’

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BBC News, 20th March 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Consensual adoption – PLWG Best Practice: A Guide – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 20th, 2025 in adoption, children, consent, families, local government, news by tracey

‘Avaia Williams examines the Public Law Working Group’s recommendations on adoption by consent.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th March 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Mums say ‘contaminated land’ legal bid is last resort – BBC News

‘More and more children at Rebecca Stewart’s east London playgroup are using asthma inhalers, she says. It was about one in 40 – but now, she says, it is more like one out of every four.’

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BBC News, 18th March 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Coward’ paedophile who fled country convicted – BBC News

‘A paedophile who stole a terminally ill man’s identity and spent almost three decades on the run has been convicted of 54 child sex abuse charges.’

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BBC News, 17th March 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lucy Letby calls for public inquiry into baby deaths to be halted – The Guardian

‘Lucy Letby has called for the public inquiry into her crimes to be halted, arguing there is now “overwhelming and compelling” evidence undermining her baby murder convictions. Lawyers for the former nurse took the extraordinary step of writing to Lady Justice Thirlwall on Monday to say that the inquiry – which is due to end on Wednesday – should be suspended immediately.’

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The Guardian, 17th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

What is the Online Safety Act? Law explained as it finally comes into force – The Independent

Posted March 18th, 2025 in child abuse, children, fines, hate crime, internet, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘Long-awaited powers will come into effect from Monday.’

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The Independent, 17th March 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘I Want to Relinquish my Child for Adoption; Does the Father or my Family Have to Know?’ – Becket Chambers

‘This article will cover the relevant case law for a mother wishing to dispense with the duty to notify the father and/or wider family of a child’s birth and will explore instances where the mother alleges domestic abuse, familial breakdown or significant cultural/religious factors which influence her decision. There are a plethora of reasons for wishing to retain anonymity, and this article is non-exhaustive.’

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Becket Chambers, 11th March 2025

Source: becket-chambers.co.uk

Court of Appeal upholds plan for adoption for 18-month-old boy as placement with extended family in Pakistan ‘not achievable within his timescales’ – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal against a placement order made in respect of an 18-month-old boy, finding that the aspiration to place him with extended family in Pakistan was “not achievable” within the timescales, and that the child’s best interests could only be served by the making of a placement order with a view to him being adopted in the UK.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th March 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sara Sharif’s family denied sentence appeal bids – BBC News

Posted March 14th, 2025 in appeals, child cruelty, children, families, imprisonment, murder, news, sentencing by Lily

‘The father, stepmother and uncle of 10-year-old Sara Sharif have lost their Court of Appeal bids to reduce their sentences after she was killed.’

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BBC News, 13th March 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Killer who stabbed schoolgirl Elianne Andam in ‘white hot anger’ in row over teddy bear jailed for 23 years – The Independent

Posted March 14th, 2025 in autism, children, imprisonment, murder, news, sentencing, young offenders by Lily

‘A killer who stabbed a 15-year-old schoolgirl in the neck in a fit of “white hot” rage after she stood up for her friend in a row over a teddy bear has been jailed for 23 years.’

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The Independent, 13th March 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MP calls for inquiry into labelling of black pupils as ‘educationally subnormal’ – The Guardian

‘The historic injustice of a scandal in which black children were incorrectly labelled “educationally subnormal” and sent to schools for physically and mentally disabled pupils must be addressed with a public inquiry, an MP has said.’

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The Guardian, 13th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Decision not to classify Southport killer as a terrorist was right, says UK watchdog – The Guardian

‘The decision not to classify Axel Rudakubana as a terrorist following the Southport murders was right because it would be unhelpful to stretch the definition of terrorism to cover all extreme violence, the UK’s terror watchdog has concluded.’

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The Guardian, 13th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lauren Fullerton and Arran Dowling-Hussey look at one of the most significant special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) cases from 2024 – 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square

‘Lauren Fullerton and Arran Dowling-Hussey look at one of the most significant special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) cases from 2024.’

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4-5 Gray's Inn Square, 7th March 2025

Source: www.4-5.co.uk

Placement of children abroad: consultation and consent – Local Government Lawyer

‘In January 2024 the President of the Family Division issued guidance on public law children cases with an international element. This refreshes and replaces the 2014 President’s guidance on the same topic. The guidance explains how to go about obtaining information (or other requests for co-operation) from other jurisdictions. The International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU) is the conduit for such requests where the request arises out of proceedings brought by an English local authority and the other country is a party to the 1996 Hague Convention.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th March 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High Court judge says children who crossed Channel in boat can be returned to France pending determination of their asylum claims – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 7th, 2025 in asylum, children, families, foreign jurisdictions, jurisdiction, news by Lily

‘A judge has ruled that the operation of immigration and asylum law no longer prevents the High Court from implementing a decision to return a child to another State before their asylum claim here has been determined by the Home Secretary, provided that the “general principle of non-refoulement” is upheld.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th March 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Migrants and refugee families in the UK denied childcare funding, report finds – The Guardian

‘Tens of thousands of children in migrant and refugee families in the UK are being denied access to government-funded childcare because of benefit restrictions linked to their parents’ immigration status, a report says.’

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The Guardian, 7th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Rotherham rapists jailed for grooming girls who were ‘vulnerable in the extreme’ – The Independent

‘Two men have been found guilty of multiple sexual offences after a court heard how two vulnerable teenagers were regularly raped over months in Rotherham.’

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The Independent, 5th March 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Mind the Empathy Gap: An Analysis of Agency and Emotional Encounters in the Asylum Appeals of Former Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Minors – Mental Capacity Law and Policy

Posted March 6th, 2025 in appeals, asylum, children, immigration, news, young persons by sally

‘The role of emotion in asylum processes is one that has gained attention in recent years. This article situates itself as a response to this emerging body of literature by shedding new light on how emotions shaped the asylum appeals of a group of former unaccompanied minors in England through the application of the new concept of “empathy gap.” Five socio-legal themes are used to structure the analysis: (i) age disputes, (ii) credibility, (iii) affective ties, (iv) right to voice, and (v) precarious legal status. It is the first article to explore in depth what happens during the asylum appeals process for former unaccompanied minors in Britain and the first to consider how questions of emotion affect their lived experiences of, and the process of, legal proceedings. The article has wider implications for how social processes and relations and informal processes, in particular emotions, influence formal legal proceedings leading to potential for unfair outcomes. The article finds that, to avoid empathy-enhanced reasoning becoming yet another variable leading to inconsistency in the judicial process, systematic training and monitoring are required. These findings carry implications far beyond the immediate context of UK asylum tribunals by offering empirically informed insights for theory and practice regarding the role of emotion in judicial proceedings, and therefore have enduring relevance.’

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EIN Blog, 5th March 2025

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Disclosure and Barring Service entitled to come to different conclusion than Teachers Regulation Agency, Court of Appeal rules – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Court of Appeal has unanimously dismissed a former teacher’s appeal against a finding by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) that he had developed an “inappropriate relationship” with a pupil – and therefore would be precluded from being a teacher – despite a separate TRA disciplinary panel finding he was not guilty of professional misconduct.’

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Local Government Lawyer , 4th March 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Upper Tribunal judge allows appeal by mother in EHCP case over pagination issues, criticises First Tier Tribunal for “putting off” issues for later – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 5th, 2025 in appeals, children, families, local government, news, tribunals by tracey

‘The Upper Tribunal has allowed a mother’s appeal concerning the Education Health and Care (EHC) Plans of her two children, after finding a “procedural irregularity” in respect of pagination issues in the court bundle.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th March 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk