Social services ‘set up CCTV camera in couple’s bedroom’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 24th, 2008 in investigatory powers, news, privacy, social services by sally

“Council staff are said to have spied on the young parents at night as part of a plan to see if they were fit to look after their baby, who was sleeping in another room. The mother and father were forced to cite the Human Rights Act, which protects the right to a private life, before the social services team backed down and agreed to switch off the surveillance camera while they were in bed together. The case is highlighted in a new dossier of human rights abuses carried out against vulnerable and elderly adults in nursing homes and hospitals across Britain.”

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Daily Telegraph, 24th November 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Government will not release detailed report into Baby P – The Guardian

Posted November 20th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“The government refused today to release a detailed report into the mistakes made by authorities in the Baby P case.”

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The Guardian, 20th November 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Councils ‘systematically failing’ to learn from their mistakes in child care – The Guardian

Posted November 20th, 2008 in child abuse, education, news, social services by sally

“The most vulnerable children are being failed by ‘patently inadequate’ standards of care in the networks of schools, care workers and children’s homes established to protect them from abuse, according to the chief inspector of schools.”

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The Guardian, 19th November 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government to unveil new laws to protect vulnerable children – The Guardian

Posted November 18th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“No government reforms can ‘make good the evil’ that happened to Baby P, the children’s secretary, Ed Balls, said today.”

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The Guardian, 18th November 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Nasty, brutish and short: The horrific life of Baby P – The Independent

Posted November 17th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“At just 17 months, a little boy was tortured to death. Why did social services fail to prevent this tragedy? Nina Lakhani and Andrew Johnson investigate.”

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The Independent, 16th November 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Haringey ‘overruled’ attempt to put Baby P into care – The Guardian

Posted November 17th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“A senior manager at the social services department in Haringey, North London, overruled the concerns of colleagues and senior police officers to return Baby P to his mother and his eventual death, it has been claimed.”

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The Times, 17th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Children and Young Persons Act 2008

Posted November 14th, 2008 in adoption, children, legislation, social services by sally

Children and Young Persons Act 2008 published

Full text of Act (PDF)

Source: www.opsi.gov.uk

Ministers defend action taken in wake of Baby P whistleblower – The Times

Posted November 14th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“The Government today claimed that it had followed ‘proper procedures’ in batting away a whistleblower’s complaint that social workers in Haringey were not dealing correctly with child abuse cases.”

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The Times, 14th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Investigation called after child murder case with echoes of Climbie – The Times

Posted November 12th, 2008 in child abuse, murder, news, social services by sally

“A nationwide review of child protection has been ordered after a mother duped social workers into believing that a series of brutal injuries that led to her son’s death were accidental.”

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The Times, 12th November 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Council criticised over care saga – BBC News

Posted November 12th, 2008 in care homes, elderly, news, social services by sally

“A council has been heavily criticised by a watchdog for its treatment of a man with learning difficulties.”

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BBC News, 12th November 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Two men found guilty of causing Baby P’s death – The Guardian

Posted November 11th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“Two men have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of causing or allowing the death of a 17-month old baby in a case which highlighted one of the most severe child protection failures since the murder of Victoria Climbie.”

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The Guardian, 11th November 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Child services reforms after Climbié death are hampering efforts, says watchdog – The Guardian

Posted October 29th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“A reform of children’s services after the death of torture victim Victoria Climbié has created a recipe for confusion, a government spending watchdog will say today.”

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The Guardian, 29th October 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (St Helens Borough Council) v Manchester Primary Care Trust and Another – Times Law Reports

Posted October 6th, 2008 in health, judicial review, law reports, social services by sally

Regina (St Helens Borough Council) v Manchester Primary Care Trust and Another

Court of Appeal

“The decision whether the care needs of a woman who required constant and expensive care should be met by the health service or by social services was one for the primary care trust acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health. That decision was capable of challenge by judicial review, but the social services authority did not have the power to reach its own decision.”

The Times, 6th October 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21days from the date of publication.

R (St Helens Borough Council) v Manchester Primary Care Trust and another – WLR Daily

Posted August 12th, 2008 in health, judicial review, law reports, social services by sally

R (St Helens Borough Council) v Manchester Primary Care Trust and another [2008] EWCA Civ 931; [2008] WLR (D) 288

“It was for the primary care trust acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and not for the local authority to decide whether the care needs of a woman with dissociative identity disorder were primarily for health care or for care which a social services authority should provide. The trust was required to define in its decision the services which the social services authority was required to provide to the woman, whose mental and psychological conditions required constant and expensive care. It was not satisfactory for the two parties to resolve the issue by costly litigation, since the money for the care and the litigation all came from the public purse.”

WLR Daily, 11th August 2008

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Health and Social Care Act 2008

Posted July 22nd, 2008 in health, legislation, social services by sally

Health and Social Care Act 2008 published

Full text of Act (PDF)

Source: www.opsi.gov.uk

Father condemns ‘whitewash’ report into killing of children – The Guardian

Posted July 18th, 2008 in children, homicide, mental health, news, social services by sally

“The father of two children killed by their mentally ill mother yesterday condemned as ‘scandalous whitewash’ an inquiry that stopped short of blaming any individual for the tragedy.”

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The Guardian, 18th July 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Child killing report ‘scandalous’ – BBC News

Posted July 17th, 2008 in children, homicide, mental health, news, social services by sally

“Health professionals failed to assess the risk a mentally ill mother posed to her two young children, a report into their deaths has found.”

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BBC News, 17th July 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Climbie worker made a ‘scapegoat’ – BBC News

Posted June 16th, 2008 in child support, news, social services by sally

“Victoria Climbie’s social worker has accused officials at London’s Haringey Council of the UK’s ‘worst case of institutionalised scapegoating’.”

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BBC News, 14th June 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Social care law change in prospect – The Guardian

Posted June 11th, 2008 in Law Commission, news, social services by sally

“The Law Commission today holds out the prospect of the first comprehensive reform of social care law for more than half a century. Announcing a formal review of what it calls ‘a confusing patchwork of conflicting statutes’, the commission says it aims to recommend a more coherent structure – preferably in the form of a single act of parliament.”

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The Guardian, 11th June 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Climbie social worker wins appeal – BBC News

Posted June 4th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“A social worker responsible for the welfare of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie has won her appeal to continue working in her role.”

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BBC News, 4th June 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk