‘The government has amended several sets of regulations with a view to assisting the children’s social care sector during the coronavirus pandemic but the move has been strongly criticised by a children’s rights charity.’
Local Government Lawyer, 28th April 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘On 12 March 2020 a unanimous Court of Appeal led by Sir Ernest Ryder (Senior President of the Tribunals), together with Lord Justice Bean and Lady Justice King, allowed the Appellant’s appeal against the First tier Tribunal (“FtT”) and Upper Tribunal (“UT”)’s decisions upholding the refusal of his application for leave to remain.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 24th March 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Natalie Cross looks at what needs to happen where parents seek to challenge a change to a care plan where the earlier plan (i.e. remaining at home) has already been approved by the court when the final order was made.’
Local Government Lawyer, 13th March 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A local authority has failed in an appeal over a judge’s decision that a mother and child should be reunited in a different residential unit.’
Local Government Lawyer, 28th February 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Neil Witham died at the age of 55 from mesothelioma leaving behind his wife (the Claimant) and his two foster children. At the heart of the dispute between the parties in this case was the width and breadth of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976 and the proper method to quantify the dependency if it fell within the scope of the Act.’
12 King's Bench Walk, 14th February 2020
Source: www.12kbw.co.uk
‘The appellant is the great-aunt of J, a child who was the focus of care proceedings that began in 2017. J’s mother accepted early on that she could not care for him and the proceedings focused on assessment of his great-aunt instead. Throughout the care proceedings the great-aunt was unrepresented (and for most of it, not a party). She is a formidable woman.’
Transparency Project, 13th February 2020
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘The government is set to ban the placement of children in care under the age of 16 in unregulated homes in England, following a BBC investigation.’
BBC News, 12th February 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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”.
5 SAH, 20th January 2020
Source: www.5sah.co.uk
‘Councils across England are being reminded about the financial support they must provide to foster carers’ school transport expenses following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman into Wolverhampton council.’
Local Government Lawyer, 17th January 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A High Court judge has refused to grant Rochdale Council permission to challenge the findings of a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman on the way it pays special guardians.’
Local Government Lawyer, 19th December 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Hundreds of children were sexually abused by predatory foster carers and residential home staff who were allowed to thrive, an inquiry has found. Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County councils exposed vulnerable children to repeated rapes and physical abuse, a report said. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said sexualised behaviour by staff was “tolerated or overlooked”.’
BBC News, 31st July 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Essex County Council has settled a judicial review challenge brought on behalf of a 16-year-old homeless child, admitting that it had operated an unlawful practice of turning homeless children away from care in breach of section 20 of the Children Act 1989.’
Local Government Lawyer, 4th July 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Department for Education has withdrawn a ‘myth-busting’ guide to council duties to vulnerable children and young people after a charity applied for judicial review, it has been reported.’
Local Government Lawyer, 26th March 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The government has withdrawn a controversial document that claims some statutory protections for vulnerable children are “myths”, after a charity launched an application for judicial review, the Guardian has learned.’
The Guardian, 24th March 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘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.’
Transparency Project, 9th March 2019
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘A couple who fostered an 18 year old man who left a bomb on a Tube train at Parsons Green are to sue Surrey County Council for negligence and breach of their right to family life under the Human Rights Act.’
Local Government Lawyer, 7th March 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A Family Court judge has condemned a council’s care for two young women as “woeful” and said he was “appalled” by failures of social workers and managers.’
Local Government Lawyer, 11th December 2018
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A family court judge has criticised a council’s social services department after it emerged that a little boy was placed with foster carers when grandparents who might have offered a home were unaware of his existence.’
The Indepdendent, 7th November 2018
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Foster carers are to receive the 30 hours free childcare offer for children in their care for the first time from September 2018. The Government also announced that over 340,000 children were in a 30-hour place in the first year of the policy.’
Family Law, 26th June 2018
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
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