Category: social services

Sibling relationships in the care system: Alexandra Wilson examines the recent case of Re G [2019] EWFC B70 – 5 SAH

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in adoption, care orders, family courts, fostering, local government, news, social services by sally

A recent podcast on BBC sounds by ‘File on 4’ focused on separated siblings in the care system.

One of the stories is from a woman who explains that she was split from her sister and wasn’t allowed to see her despite her living just five minutes away. She recalls that between their respective foster families’ homes there was a park where she would see her younger sister playing with her foster sister. Breaking down into tears, she explains that she felt hurt, angry, annoyed, sad and “thought it was really, really cruel”.

Full Story

5 SAH, 20th January 2020

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

Rotherham child sex abuse victim ‘vindicated’ – BBC News

Posted January 20th, 2020 in child abuse, children, complaints, news, ombudsmen, police, racism, sexual offences, social services, victims by sally

‘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.’

Full Story

BBC News, 18th 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.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 16th January 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Manchester sex abuse: ‘Fundamental flaws’ left children unprotected – BBC News

Posted January 14th, 2020 in news, prosecutions, reports, sexual offences, social services by sally

‘Police and social workers investigating child sex exploitation in Manchester knew children were suffering “the most profound abuse… but did not protect them”, a report has found.’

Full Story

BBC News, 14th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police errors may have let abusers of up to 52 children escape justice – The Guardian

Posted January 14th, 2020 in child abuse, news, police, prosecutions, sexual offences, social services by sally

‘Up to 52 children may have been victims of a sex abuse scandal in Greater Manchester, with most offenders getting away with their crimes because of errors by police and children’s services, the Guardian has learned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 14th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

McKenzie Friends giving “biased and misleading” online advice – Legal Futures

Posted December 11th, 2019 in family courts, fees, internet, legal representation, legal services, McKenzie friends, news, social services by tracey

‘McKenzie Friends are giving “biased and misleading” advice to vulnerable family litigants, an academic study of online posts has found.’

Full Story

Legal Futures, 11th December 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Girl sexually exploited ‘by over 40 adults’ while in care – The Guardian

Posted December 9th, 2019 in abuse of position of trust, care homes, care workers, child abuse, children, hospitals, mental health, news, police, psychiatric damage, sexual offences, social services by sally

‘The children’s commissioner has been called on to intervene in the case of a vulnerable teenager alleged to have been the victim of a catalogue of failures at the hands of social workers, medical authorities and police.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 8th December 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judge believes blameless parents and sends baby home – Transparency Project

Posted December 9th, 2019 in accidents, child cruelty, children, families, news, social services by sally

‘His Honour Judge Dancey has published a judgment in which he explains why he has decided that social services have failed to prove that either parent caused a skull fracture sustained by their baby, with the result that the baby is going home. The judge decided that the evidence did not prove that the fracture had been inflicted as opposed to caused accidentally, and the injury just remained unexplained. The baby has made a full recovery, by the way.’

Full Story

Transparency Project, 7th December 2019

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Family Division judge hands down ruling in care proceedings involving 49 parties – Local Government Lawyer

Posted November 1st, 2019 in care orders, child abuse, children, families, family courts, local government, news, sexual offences, social services by sally

‘A Family Division judge has handed down his judgment in what is said to have been one of the largest public law children’s cases ever litigated.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 31st October 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Denial of social care support to persons subject to immigration control, and human rights – Community Care Blog

Posted October 29th, 2019 in asylum, immigration, mental health, news, social services by tracey

‘The Administrative Court has revisited the issue of the denial of social care support to persons subject to immigration control, and the line between local authority social care support under the Care Act 2014, and accommodation and support provided by the Home Office. R (Shehab Aburas) v London Borough of Southwark [2019] EWHC 2754 (Admin) concerned an apparently stateless 58 year old Palestinian who came to the United Kingdom from Kuwait, arriving in 1996. Mt Aburas had mental health issues and had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and depression. He was a failed asylum-seeker without regular immigration status. Southwark determined that he was in the category ‘no recourse to public funds’ as a ‘person subject to immigration control’ for the purposes of section 21 of the Care Act 2014. He was present in the United Kingdom as a ‘person in breach of immigration control’ for the purposes of Schedule 3 paragraphs 1 and 7(1)(a) to the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. He faced barriers to a proposed removal to Kuwait.’

Full Story

Community Care Blog, 23rd October 2019

Source: communitycare11kbw.com

Child slavery victims being lured back into exploitation due to lack of support amid surge in cases – The Independent

Posted October 18th, 2019 in children, forced labour, homelessness, local government, news, social services, trafficking in human beings by tracey

‘Child victims of modern slavery are being lured back into exploitation and falling into homelessness as cash-strapped local authorities struggle to cope with a surge in cases, charities have warned. Thousands of young people who have been trafficked and exploited, often by county lines gangs or through international criminal networks, are being left to navigate complex legal, education and immigration systems alone because austerity-hit services cannot adequately support them.’

Full Story

The Independent, 18th October 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Social services should not help man meet sex workers, judge rules – The Guardian

Posted October 8th, 2019 in Court of Protection, learning difficulties, local government, news, prostitution, social services by tracey

‘A judge has ruled that social services should not facilitate access to prostitutes for a man with learning disabilities who has a “high sex drive”.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 7th October 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Disabled woman starved to death at home after carer visited own mother instead – The Independent

Posted August 29th, 2019 in care workers, community care, homicide, negligence, news, sentencing, social services by tracey

‘A care worker who left a severely disabled woman to starve to death in her home has been convicted of gross negligence manslaughter.’

Full Story

The Independent, 28th August 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Social worker suspended after telling female colleague ‘I like a nice set of baps’ while looking through her shopping basket – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 19th, 2019 in disciplinary procedures, harassment, news, professional conduct, sexual offences, social services by tracey

‘A social worker has been suspended after he groped a junior colleague and told her he liked a “good pair of baps” as he squeezed a pack of bread rolls in front of her.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 18th August 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

‘Babies living with abusive parents under 24-hour CCTV, as Children’s Commissioner calls for review into the ‘Big Brother-style’ centres – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 5th, 2019 in child abuse, child cruelty, children, closed circuit television, families, local government, news, social services, Supreme Court by tracey

‘Babies are living with abusive parents under 24-hour CCTV surveillance, The Telegraph can reveal, as the Children’s Commissioner calls for a review into the ‘Big Brother-style’ accommodation.

However “disturbing” cases – which have remained unreported until now – where children have been physically injured and sexually abused while living in the units have prompted the Children’s Commissioner to call for a review into the controversial scheme.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 4th August 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Lucy McHugh murder case: Stephen Nicholson jailed for life – BBC News

Posted July 19th, 2019 in child abuse, DNA, local government, murder, news, rape, sentencing, sexual offences, social services by tracey

‘A lodger who raped and murdered a 13-year-old girl to stop her exposing him as an abuser has been jailed for life.’

Full Story

BBC News, 19th July 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Father’s Day Revenge? Female perpetrated domestic abuse, homicide and suicide – Transparency Project

Posted July 11th, 2019 in children, domestic violence, homicide, mental health, news, social services, suicide by sally

‘On the 17th of June 2018, a father made an anxious call to Kent Police after his ex-partner failed to return their child after a period of unsupervised contact which had been agreed by the family court. Very sadly, the following morning, the Police found the bodies of the missing little boy and his mother. A Serious Case Review into “Child H” was conducted and published in the last week by Kent Safeguarding Children’s Board.’

Full Story

Transparency Project, 6th July 2019

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

County council admits flawed practice of turning homeless children away, settles judicial review challenge – Local Government Lawyers

Posted July 8th, 2019 in children, duty of care, fostering, homelessness, housing, judicial review, local government, news, social services by sally

‘Essex County Council has settled a judicial review challenge brought on behalf of a 16-year-old homeless child, admitting that it had operated an unlawful practice of turning homeless children away from care in breach of section 20 of the Children Act 1989.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 4th July 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

University conducted flawed disciplinary proceedings in removing MA student from social work over disapproval of homosexual acts: Court of Appeal – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 8th, 2019 in appeals, Christianity, codes of practice, disciplinary procedures, freedom of expression, homosexuality, internet, judicial review, news, sexual orientation discrimination, social services, universities by sally

‘A university conducted flawed disciplinary proceedings when it removed an MA student from a social work course for fitness to practice reasons, after he expressed religions views on a public social media platform disapproving of homosexual acts.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 5th July 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Christian wins appeal after being thrown off social work course – The Guardian

Posted July 4th, 2019 in appeals, Christianity, freedom of expression, homosexuality, human rights, news, religious discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, social services, transgender persons, universities by sally

‘A devout Christian thrown off a university social work course after being accused of posting derogatory comments about gay and bisexual people on Facebook has won the latest round of a legal battle.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 3rd July 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com