Child sex text teacher is jailed – BBC News
“A former primary school teacher who sent sexually explicit text messages to a 14-year-old boy has been jailed for 12 months.”
BBC News, 13th February 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: children
No prosecution in 13-year-old father case – Daily Telegraph
“Police will not be looking to prosecute anyone in the case of a 13-year-old boy who has become a father.”
Daily Telegraph, 13th February 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Regina (Liverpool City Council) v Hillingdon London Borough Council and Another – Times Law Reports
Regina (Liverpool City Council) v Hillingdon London Borough Council and Another
Court of Appeal
“A local authority had failed to carry out its duty under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 when dealing with an asylum-seeker who claimed to be a child because it did not carry out an assessment of his welfare needs, or of the kind of accommodation that would be required to meet them.”
The Times, 13th February 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
Asylum detainees win record payout – The Independent
“In a landmark settlement, the Congolese family have been awarded £150,000, believed to be the biggest payout over the unlawful detention of child refugees seeking asylum in Britain.”
The Independent, 13th February 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
R (Liverpool City Council) v Hillingdon London Borough Council – WLR Daily
R (Liverpool City Council) v Hillingdon London Borough Council [2009] EWCA Civ 43; [2009] WLR (D) 45
“The responsibility for looking after a child in need fell on the local authority where the child was living and could not be fulfilled merely by sending the child on to another local authority, even if the child himself wanted to live in the area of that other authority. S 20 of the Children Act 1989 imposed a duty on the local authority to carry out a proper assessment of the child’s welfare needs and the type and location of accommodation that would meet those needs.”
WLR Daily, 11th February 2009
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.
Holmes-Moorhouse v London Borough of Richmond upon Thames – WLR Daily
Holmes-Moorhouse v London Borough of Richmond upon Thames [2009] UKHL 7; [2009] WLR (D) 31
“When a court in family proceedings made a shared residence order providing for children to spend alternate weeks with each of their parents, and the father was homeless, a housing authority was not obliged, on account of the order, to regard the father as a person in priority need of accommodation on the ground that dependent children might reasonably expected to reside with him.”
WLR Daily, 4th February 2009
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.
Smith launches crackdown on knife sales – The Independent
“The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said there was ‘not one easy quick way’ to tackle knife crime, as she launched a new crackdown on selling knives to youngsters today.”
The Independent, 5th February 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
The Big Question: At what age should children be held responsible for their criminal acts? – The Independent
“Why are we asking this now?
Because the former head of the Youth Justice Board, Professor Rod Morgan, has called for the age at which children can be locked up –the so-called age of criminal responsibility – to be raised. The minimum age is currently 10 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and eight in Scotland. Professor Morgan spoke for many criminologists and penal reformers when he argued that the age should be raised, and voiced concern that nothing would be done.”
The Independent, 5th February 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Websites for children must register their moderators, says new law – OUT-LAW.com
“Organisations with interactive websites likely to be used mainly by children must ensure that staff moderating the sites are not barred from working with children from October.”
OUT-LAW.com, 3rd February 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
Politicians and Celebrities to be protected from child database – Daily Telegraph
“Celebrities and politicians will be able to keep their details off a controversial new database listing the personal details of every child in England, it has been reported.”
Daily Telegraph, 27th January 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Children’s database ContactPoint launched despite security fears – Daily Telegraph
“ContactPoint will include the names, ages and addresses of 11 million under-18s as well as information about their parents, GPs and schools. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have pledged to scrap the £224million online system – which will be accessed by at least 330,000 workers in the education, health, social care, youth justice and voluntary sectors – because they believe there is a danger that sensitive information will be mislaid or lost.”
Daily Telegraph, 26th January 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Police constable ‘smacked’ child – BBC News
“A policeman described in court as having a Dickensian attitude has been given a suspended jail sentence after he hit a primary school-age child.”
BBC News, 21st January 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
CL (Vietnam) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – Times Law Reports
CL (Vietnam) v Secretary of State for the Home Department
Court of Appeal
“Where an unaccompanied child seeking asylum appealed against the refusal of his claim and removal directions, it was necessary for the immigration judge, when considering that child’s human rights, to determine whether the reception facilities for the child on return were adequate. It was not solely an issue for the Secretary of State for the Home Department to determine.”
The Times, 7th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
Family courts: a free-for-all? No, we will still protect children – The Times
“The announcement by Jack Straw that the media are to be given access to the courts at all levels is likely to be welcomed by the judiciary. At last they will be able show the world at large that there is no conspiracy or injustice going on.”
The Times, 18th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
CL (Vietnam) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – WLR Daily
CL (Vietnam) v Secretary of State for the Home Department; [2008] WLR (D) 381
“On an appeal by an uaccompanied child seeking asylum, against the refusal of his claim and removal directions, an immigration judge was required to determine the adequacy of reception facilities for the child on return as part of the consideration of that child’s human rights. It was not solely a matter for the Secretary of State’s determination.”
WLR Daily, 11th December 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.
Open verdict on toddler’s death – BBC News
“A toddler who died in a fire at his family home screamed for help as rescuers tried in vain to pull him out of the house, an inquest has heard.”
BBC News, 11th December 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Bar chair: vulnerable children ‘at risk’ after legal cuts – The Times
“Vulnerable children are at increased risk of harm because of cuts in legal aid fees for family cases, the incoming head of the Bar profession said last night.”
The Times, 9th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Internet ban on ‘child porn’ album sleeve – The Guardian
“Britain’s rules on internet censorship have come under scrutiny following a decision to block pages on Wikipedia after a page on the site showing the image of a naked young girl on an album cover from 1976 was declared ‘potentially illegal’.”
The Guardian, 9th December 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Children and Adoption Act – more flexible approach to resolving disputes in contact cases – Ministry of Justice
“New provisions in the Children and Adoption Act 2006, which come into force today, provide new ways to help the courts find solutions in contact cases where there is conflict between the parents about whom a child should see and how often.”
Ministry of Justice, 8th December 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Children and Adoption Act 2006: child-contact powers ‘could worsen parent wars’ – The Times
“New powers to stop warring parents using contact with their children as a weapon could backfire and inflame fraught family relations, according to judges and lawyers.”
The Times, 8th December 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
