Kent council fined after mother and son left to live in tent in pandemic – The Guardian

‘A council has been fined after it removed a homeless teenager and his mother from temporary housing during the pandemic, leaving them to sofa surf and live in a tent for two months.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 23rd April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

TikTok sued for billions over use of children’s data – BBC News

Posted April 21st, 2021 in children, class actions, compensation, damages, data protection, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘TikTok is facing a legal challenge from former children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield over how it collects and uses children’s data.’

Full Story

BBC News, 21st April 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Liability for abuse suffered by claimant place in private care home – Local Government Lawyer

‘Steven Ford QC analyses a ruling where, in the absence of fault, a local authority was not liable for sexual assaults committed by an employee of the private residential care home at which it placed the claimant. The relationship between the abusive employee and the placing authority was not akin to employment and the duty of care owed by the authority to the claimant was not non-delegable.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 16th April 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Gloucester swimming instructor jailed for abusing 3-year-old girl – BBC News

‘A “perverted” swimming instructor who sexually abused a three-year-old girl he was babysitting has been jailed.’

Full Story

BBC News, 15th April 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Harvey Tyrrell death: Pub owner jailed over boy’s electrocution death – BBC News

‘A pub owner has been jailed after admitting responsibility for the death of a seven-year-old boy who was electrocuted in a beer garden.’

Full Story

BBC News, 16th April 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court of Appeal allows appeal over decision by Family Court judge not to separate mother and baby – Local Government Lawyer

Posted April 15th, 2021 in appeals, children, fostering, local government, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by a local authority over a judge’s decision not to separate a mother and a baby.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 15th April 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

F (A Child : Adjournment) [2021] EWCA Civ 469 – Transparency Project

‘This case is about a little boy, J, who was approaching three years of age at the time the decision was made. His mother was 19 when J was born and she was living with J’s father. The local authority issued care proceedings in relation to J in August 2018. The proceedings began as J suffered a number of injuries whilst he was in the care of his mother and a Mr K. At a hearing before His Honour Judge Jack (‘the Judge’) findings were made that the mother had suffered serious abuse at the hands of J’s father.’

Full Story

Transparency Project, 12th April 2021

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Is there still any place for supervision orders? – Transparency Project

‘The purpose and effectiveness of this type of court order is currently being considered by one of the innumerable sub-groups of the Public Law Working Group. Now, the NFJO have reported on a rapid survey of professionals and parents who were asked quite detailed questions about supervision orders (SOs) in which they were involved during the last six years (presumably since the legislative changes to family proceedings in 2014). There was a good response from nearly 300 social work and legal professionals but only ten parents responded. However the NFJO is carrying out some separate work with focus groups for parents’ views.’

Full Story

Transparency Project, 13th April 2021

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Rare appeal allowed over refusal by judge to adjourn final care hearing – Local Government Lawyer

‘A mother’s appeal of a decision by a family judge not to adjourn an imminent final hearing in care proceedings has been allowed in a “rare” case before the Court of Appeal.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 9th April 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Gaming paedophile groomed victim with cryptocurrency – BBC News

‘A paedophile who groomed an 11-year-old boy through online gaming has been told by a judge he may have to serve all of his eight-year jail sentence.’

Full Story

BBC News, 6th April 2021

Source: www.bbc.com

High Court Rules Parents Can Consent to Puberty Blockers On Their Child’s Behalf – Each Other

‘On Trans Day of Visibility 2021, trans children in England and Wales may feel a little more visible, after a recent High Court decision confirmed that parents can consent to their children being prescribed puberty blockers and a court application will not normally have to be made.’

Full Story

Each Other, 31st March 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

Nottingham men jailed for abusing vulnerable teenage girls – BBC News

‘Two men have been jailed for grooming and sexually abusing three vulnerable teenage girls.’

Full Story

BBC News, 29th March 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Thousands of EU children face ‘cliff edge’ as still without post-Brexit status three months before deadline – The Independent

Posted March 30th, 2021 in brexit, children, families, immigration, news, visas by sally

‘Thousands of European children living in care in the UK face becoming undocumented within months as only one in four has been granted post-Brexit immigration status, data reveals.’

Full Story

The Independent, 30th March 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Case Preview: BF (Eritrea) v Secretary of State for the Home Department – EIN Blog

‘On 16 March 2021 the Supreme Court heard the Secretary of State’s appeal in BF (Eritrea) v Secretary of State for the Home Department.’

Full Story

EIN Blog, 29th March 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Our treatment of the vulnerable – Local Government Lawyer

‘The pandemic has shone a powerful searchlight on to the unnecessarily damaged lives of too many of our most vulnerable people and children. In a paper given at a Royal Holloway University of London Symposium, Sir James Munby, former President of the Family Division, looks at the challenges facing the family justice system.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 26th March 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Teenage mother admits causing death of baby daughter due to neglect – The Independent

‘A mother has admitted causing the death of her baby in Brighton. Verphy Kudi’s 20-month-old daughter Asiah Kudi died at an address in the East Sussex city in December 2019.’

Full Story

The Independent, 27th March 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Parents can consent to children being given puberty blockers, High Court rules – The Independent

‘Parents can consent to their child being given puberty blockers without applying for a court’s approval, the High Court has ruled following a case that contested whether under-16s were able to give permission themselves.’

Full Story

The Independent, 27th March 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Watchdog steps in over secrecy about UK women in Syria stripped of citizenship – The Guardian

‘The Home Office’s refusal to disclose the number of women who, like Shamima Begum, have been deprived of their British citizenship after travelling to join Islamic State is under investigation by the information commissioner.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 29th March 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Children: Public Law Update (March 2021) – Family Law Week

‘John Tughan QC of 4PB considers the latest judgments that Public law child lawyers need to know about.’

Full Story

Family Law Week, 24th March 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Unequal chances? Ethnic disproportionality in child welfare and family justice – Family Law

‘Many have experienced their own Black Lives Matter moment in the last 12 months, a sharp realisation of entrenched prejudices and inequalities that still exist in our society. In the family justice system that moment came last October when a black barrister, Alexandra Wilson, was mistaken for a defendant three times in one day. And yet, more generally there has been surprising little debate about the disproportionate numbers of families from some ethnic minorities in the family justice system and what might lie behind this.’

Full Story

Family Law, 19th March 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk