Yousef Makki: Boy B loses bid to keep identity secret – BBC News

‘A teenager cleared of lying to police over the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Yousef Makki has lost a High Court bid to protect his identity.’

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BBC News, 28th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

East Kent hospitals: Care watchdog inspects trust after baby death apology – BBC News

‘England’s care watchdog has carried out a no-notice inspection of an NHS trust at the centre of concerns over the possible preventable deaths of babies.’

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BBC News, 24th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ombudsman reminds councils of their foster carer school transport duties – Local Government Lawyer

‘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.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 17th January 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Rotherham child sex abuse victim ‘vindicated’ – BBC News

‘A survivor of sexual abuse in Rotherham has told the BBC she feels “vindicated” by a watchdog’s investigation that found South Yorkshire Police did not do enough to protect her.’

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BBC News, 18th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

London council’s special needs inquiry caused by ‘systemic failures’ – BBC News

‘At least 5,000 children seeking special educational needs support (Send) are to have their cases reviewed after a London council landed a stinging rebuke from the local government ombudsman. Concerns about “systemic failures” in Richmond’s Send department prompted the watchdog to take the highly unusual step of ordering the full-scale audit.’

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BBC News, 17th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ombudsman criticises council for failing to properly involve complainant in assessment and support planning process – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 16th, 2020 in budgets, disabled persons, local government, news, ombudsmen, social services by sally

‘A council significantly delayed completing an assessment of a complainant’s social care needs, failed to complete a support plan before reducing his personal budget and failed to properly involve him in the assessment and support planning process, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 16th January 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Disjointed’ policing hampering efforts to tackle county lines exploitation, watchdog finds – The Independent

Posted January 10th, 2020 in children, drug offences, drug trafficking, gangs, news, ombudsmen, police, young offenders by tracey

‘Disjointed policing and a lack of coordination between forces are worsening the issue of county lines drugs gangs exploiting children, a government watchdog has warned.’

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The Independent, 10th January 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Love Island star Molly Mae’s Insta post banned – BBC News

Posted January 8th, 2020 in advertising, complaints, internet, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Social media influencer Molly Mae Hague has become the latest in a string of reality stars to have a complaint upheld against her by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).’

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BBC News, 8th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Council rapped over treatment of pregnant woman who was made homeless – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 8th, 2020 in duty of care, homelessness, housing, local government, news, ombudsmen, pregnancy by sally

‘The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has agreed to consider service resources and “the changes it needs to make to work in line with the law” after a Local Government and Social Ombudsman investigation into how a pregnant woman, who approached the council for help when she was made homeless, was left in an unfurnished flat, miles from her support network.’

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Local Government Lawyer, January 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Girl boss’ advert banned for gender stereotyping – BBC News

Posted January 8th, 2020 in advertising, complaints, gender, news, ombudsmen, sex discrimination by sally

‘An advert saying “You do the girl boss thing” has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).’

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BBC News, 8th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Betting ad featuring England footballer Declan Rice banned, as watchdog rules prank videos are advertising – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 8th, 2020 in advertising, gambling, internet, news, ombudsmen, sport by sally

‘YouTube prank videos made by corporate brands are subject to advertising rules, a watchdog had ruled after banning a clip of England footballer Declan Rice appearing for a betting company.’

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Daily Telegraph, 8th January 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Council refused permission to challenge Ombudsman findings on payment of special guardians – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 19th, 2019 in budgets, children, families, fostering, guardianship, local government, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘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.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th December 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Racism ‘prevalent’ in the armed forces, ombudsman warns – BBC News

Posted December 19th, 2019 in armed forces, news, ombudsmen, racism by sally

‘”Racism is prevalent” within the armed forces, the independent ombudsman overseeing complaints has warned.’

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BBC News, 19th December 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Advertising watchdog bans e-cigarette promotion on Instagram – The Guardian

Posted December 18th, 2019 in advertising, complaints, health, internet, news, ombudsmen, smoking, young persons by sally

‘British American Tobacco (BAT) and three other e-cigarette firms have been banned by the UK advertising watchdog from promoting their vaping products on public Instagram pages in a ruling described as “a huge step forward” by health campaigners.’

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The Guardian, 18th December 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Council fined £500k after first prosecution by CQC over failure to provide safe care – Local Government Lawyer

‘Derbyshire County Council has been fined £500,000 following the first prosecution that the Care Quality Commission has brought against a local authority since the watchdog was given powers to prosecute health and social care providers for failing to provide safe care and treatment in 2015.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th December 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

ICO consults on new draft guidance on Subject Access Requests under GDPR – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 5th, 2019 in codes of practice, consultations, data protection, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘The Information Commissioner has launched a consultation on new draft guidance for organisations on how to handle Subject Access Requests (SARs) under the GDPR.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th December 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

FCA New Approach to Claims Management Regulation – St Pauls Chambers

‘In April 2019, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) became the new regulator of Claims Management businesses (CMCs). At the same time, the Financial Ombudsman Service became responsible for resolving customer disputes about CMSs. In June 2018, the FCA issued a consultation paper (CP 18/15) which proposed a new Claims Management: Conduct of Business Sourcebook [CMCOB] and to apply relevant parts of the existing FCA Handbook.’

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St Pauls Chambers, 28th November 2019

Source: www.stpaulschambers.com

Dog walker finds dossier of paedophiles and victims ‘dumped by police officer by public skip’ – The Independent

‘A police officer accused of dumping documents identifying paedophiles and their victims near a public skip is to face a misconduct hearing.’

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The Independent, 21st November 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Secretary announces investigation into Brook House immigration removal centre will be converted into Public Inquiry – Garden Court Chambers

Posted November 20th, 2019 in detention, immigration, inquiries, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘On 5 November 2019 the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Priti Patel, announced to Parliament that the Prisons and Probations Ombudsman (PPO) investigation of Brook House immigration removal centre (IRC), set up to investigate the abuses revealed in the BBC Panorama documentary ‘Undercover: Britain’s Immigration Secrets’, has been converted to a statutory public inquiry in accordance with the Inquiries Act 2005.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 8th November 2019

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Recent Changes to the Financial Ombudsman Service – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted November 20th, 2019 in financial regulation, jurisdiction, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘On 1 April 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) enacted new rules that substantially expanded the jurisdiction of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Whereas previously it was limited to awarding complainants redress of £150k, that figure is now £350k. In addition, the categories of eligible complainant will now include not only individuals and ‘micro enterprises’ but also SMEs (small to medium enterprises) whose turnover is below £6.5m and who have either less than 50 employees or a balance sheet total of less than £5m.’

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Hardwicke Chambers, 13th November 2019

Source: hardwicke.co.uk