Joanna Michael: ‘Sorry isn’t good enough’ – mother – BBC News

‘The mother of a woman brutally murdered after a 999 delay has said she will take her case to the House of Commons to get “justice” for her daughter.’

Full story

BBC News, 17th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Victim told to write to vicious attacker or face jail herself – Daily Telegraph

‘A mother who was tortured for seven hours and had her throat slashed in front of her twin sons has been forced to write to her attacker, and could face jail herself if she refuses.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The Rise and Rise of Damages in Human Rights Claims – Family Law Week

Posted February 13th, 2015 in care orders, children, damages, human rights, jurisdiction, news by tracey

‘Julie Stather, barrister of Westgate Chambers, considers the development of claims for damages arising from breaches of human rights in care proceedings.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 12th February 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Father wins custody battle with children’s grandparents to return them to Australia – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 12th, 2015 in children, grandparents, news, residence orders by sally

‘An Aboriginal father has defeated his children’s grandparents in his legal fight to return the infants to his native Australia after their mother died in the UK.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 11th February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

England bans smoking in cars with children – BBC News

Posted February 12th, 2015 in children, news, smoking by sally

‘Drivers in England will be banned from smoking in their cars if they are carrying children as passengers.’

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BBC News, 11th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

In re M and others (Children) (Abduction: Child’s Objections) – WLR Daily

In re M and others (Children) (Abduction: Child’s Objections) [2015] EWCA Civ 26; [2015] WLR (D) 44

‘Where a court was determining, for the purposes of article 13 of the Hague Convention 1980, whether a child objected to being returned and had attained the age and degree of maturity at which it was appropriate to take account of its views, the use of sub-tests and technicality were to be avoided.’

WLR Daily, 27th January 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Schedule 1 to The Children Act 1989: Not Just for Wags – Family Law Week

‘Anita Mehta, barrister of Crown Office Row, Brighton, argues that Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989 applications should not be regarded as the domain of footballers’ girlfriends or the uber-wealthy but as a powerful tool for meeting children’s needs in a wide variety of cases.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 6th February 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

“Nowadays not all law can be simple law; but the best law remains simple law” – Family Law Week

Posted February 11th, 2015 in appeals, child abduction, children, consent, custody, families, joinder, litigation friends, news by sally

‘Christopher Hames and Dorothea Gartland, of 4 Paper Buildings, & Nina Hansen, a partner of Freemans Solicitors, consider the important Court of Appeal judgment in Re M (Republic of Ireland) (Children’s Objection) (Joinder of Children as Parties).’

Full story

Family Law Week, 4th February 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Nottinghamshire Police detained child without food or water – BBC News

Posted February 11th, 2015 in children, detention, food, mental health, news, police, water, young persons by sally

‘A 16-year-old girl was held in police custody for almost two days without food or water, a report has found.’

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BBC News, 11th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Shrewsbury ‘lost baby ashes’ probe finds 60 cases – BBC News

Posted February 10th, 2015 in burials and cremation, children, inquiries, news by sally

‘At least 60 families have been affected by a crematorium’s failure to return the ashes of dead babies to bereaved parents, an inquiry has found.’

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BBC News, 9th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Gratuitously rude’ judge reprimanded in CoA ruling – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A family judge was reprimanded by Court of Appeal judges twice in two days and told he should be “embarrassed” by the way he handled a case, it has emerged.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 6th February 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Fake pregnancy woman found guilty of child smuggling – The Independent

Posted February 9th, 2015 in adoption, children, news, pregnancy, trafficking in human beings by sally

‘A woman who faked her own pregnancy after years of infertility has been convicted of smuggling a child into Britain after apparently buying it from a Nigerian “baby farm” and passing it off as her own.’

Full story

The Independent, 6th February 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Council to pay £17k damages for “truly lamentable” failures in child care case – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 6th, 2015 in care orders, child abuse, children, damages, delay, local government, news, social services by sally

‘A High Court judge has ordered a county council to pay £17,000 in damages under the Human Rights Act following a “truly lamentable” catalogue of errors, omissions, delays and serial breaches of court orders in a child care case.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 4th February 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Babes out of the Forest – NearlyLegal

‘The out of borough temporary accommodation position continues to get worse, with increasing numbers of homeless shipped out of borough (and for London councils, often out of London). London Councils (pace Nzolameso v Westminster CC ) have put the DCLG ‘Supplementary Guidance on the homelessness changes in the Localism Act 2011 and on the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2012‘ at naught.’

Full story

NearlyLegal, 2nd February 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Can you stop a paedophile before they even start? – BBC News

‘Between 1-2% of men are thought to be paedophiles. Some become dangerous criminals preying on children, while others never act on their feelings. However views are divided on how and when to intervene in order to protect children.’

Full story

BBC News, 4th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

In re S-W (Children) (Care Proceedings: Case Management Hearing) – WLR Daily

Posted February 3rd, 2015 in appeals, care orders, case management, children, law reports by tracey

In re S-W (Children) (Care Proceedings: Case Management Hearing): [2015] EWCA Civ 27; [2015] WLR (D) 38

‘It would not be appropriate in care proceedings to dispose of a case at the case management hearing where there remained any significant issue as to threshold, assessment, or placement; nor could it ever be appropriate where the children’s guardian had not at least had an opportunity of seeing the child or children in question and to prepare a case analysis. Where, unusually, a case was to be disposed of at that hearing adequate notice had to be given to the parties; reluctance on the part of the parents or the children’s guardian would ordinarily be fatal. Furthermore a care order should not be made without some reasons or a judgment, no matter how concise, noting the available options, the positions of the parties and confirming that the outcome for the child was in his or her best interests and was proportionate.’

WLR Daily, 30th January 2015

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Children: Private Law Update (January 2015) – Family Law Week

‘Alex Verdan QC, of 4 Paper Buildings, reviews recent important judgments in private law children cases.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 28th January 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Children held at Campsfield House immigration centre – BBC News

Posted February 3rd, 2015 in children, detention, immigration, news, reports by tracey

‘Three children were detained at a UK immigration centre despite a government commitment to end the practice, the HM Inspectorate of Prisons has found.’

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BBC News, 3rd February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court of Appeal slams judge for “unprincipled” approach to final care orders – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 2nd, 2015 in appeals, care orders, case management, children, judges, local government, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has sharply criticised a county court judge for adopting a “ruthlessly truncated” and “fundamentally unprincipled” process when he made final care orders at what the parties expected to be a directions hearing.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 2nd February 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Appointment to the bench is not a licence for judges to be gratuitously rude to those appearing before them – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 2nd, 2015 in appeals, care orders, case management, children, judges, local government, news by sally

‘HHJ Dodds is well known to readers of this blog. His style of case management was also analysed (and found wanting) by the Court of Appeal the following day in Re S-W (children) [2015] EWCA Civ 27 (30 January 2015). The judgments leave one to ponder whether these cases are a product of the stresses that have emerged from the greater expectations now put on the shoulders of judges to case manage litigation or whether, as previously discussed in this blog by David Hart QC here, it is a problem that arises with clever judges who find that they are, by temperament, not inclined to listen patiently to other people (generally considered to be a core part of the job description).’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 1st February 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com