Girl, 14, forced to become pregnant with donor sperm bought by mother – The Guardian

“A mother forced her 14-year-old adopted daughter to inseminate herself with donor sperm to provide a baby for her after she was prevented from adopting any more children, it can be revealed. The daughter, a virgin, is believed to have miscarried at 14, but went on to have a baby at 16 after regularly inseminating herself with sperm bought over the internet by her ‘domineering’ mother because she was too scared to refuse. Details of the shocking case have emerged in a previously secret court judgment, which can be reported today for the first time and which raises serious questions over loopholes in international adoptions and the regulation of the global traffic in gametes.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th April 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Collette Elliot wins pay-out from Birmingham council – BBC News

Posted April 29th, 2013 in child abuse, compensation, local government, news, social services by tracey

“A woman is to receive compensation from a council after social services failed
to take her into care while she was being abused as a child.”

Full story

BBC News, 28th April 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Judge: parents were too besotted to hurt children – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 29th, 2013 in child abuse, children, evidence, families, news, social services by tracey

“A judge has refused to allow social workers to take three children with serious
and apparently unexplained injuries into care after seeing that their parents
were ‘simply dotty about them’.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 27th April 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Human rights have disappeared from ‘Working Together’ – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 9th, 2013 in children, human rights, local government, news, social services by sally

“‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ is the lead piece of statutory guidance on… well, working together to safeguard children. Originally published in 1999, a new edition was published in 2006 following the changes brought about following the death of Victoria Climbié. And the next edition in 2010 incorporated recommendations of the second Laming Report which followed the death of Baby P. It had grown longer over time, as we all learned lessons from Haringey; but its growing length was causing concern.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 9th April 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Fancy having a Judge in your living room? – Hardwicke Chambers

Posted April 2nd, 2013 in jurisdiction, local government, news, private hearings, social services by sally

“Thanks to the English High Court, state policing of personal relationships in Britain is on the rise.”

Full story

Hardwicke Chambers, 22nd March 2013

Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk

The Government’s response to Lord Carlile’s report on the Edlington case – Department for Education

Posted March 26th, 2013 in child abuse, child neglect, children, news, reports, social services by sally

“In March 2012 the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, asked Lord Carlile to conduct an independent review of the case of the ‘J’ children in Edlington. The ‘J’ children had committed a very serious assault on two young victims in April 2009, having assaulted another young victim the previous weekend.”

Full story

Department for Education, March 2013

Source: www.education.gov.uk

Couple falsely accused of child abuse win damages from Haringey council – The Guardian

Posted March 15th, 2013 in child abuse, damages, news, social services by tracey

“Two experienced senior social workers who were plunged into a ‘nightmare’ after officials unlawfully investigated them over false allegations they had ill-treated their young daughter have won damages in the high court.”

Full story

The Guardian, 14th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Baby P boss Sharon Shoesmith returns to court – BBC News

“The former head of Haringey Council children’s services has returned to court over her sacking following the death of Baby P.”

Full story

BBC News, 13th March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Baby P social workers lose court appeal against sacking – BBC News

Posted March 12th, 2013 in appeals, news, social services, unfair dismissal by sally

“Two of Baby P’s social workers have lost their appeal against a tribunal ruling that found they were fairly sacked by Haringey Council.”

Full story

BBC News, 12th March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Post-adoption support should be a legal right, say Lords – BBC News

Posted March 6th, 2013 in adoption, local government, news, reports, social services by sally

“Adoptive parents in England should have a legal right to support, a House of Lords report argues.”

Full story

BBC News, 6th March 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Related link: Adoption: Post-Legislative Scrutiny Report (PDF)

Adoption should not just be about speed – The Guardian

Posted March 6th, 2013 in adoption, local government, news, social services by sally

“The government fails to recognise that post-adoption support is as important as finding families quickly.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Children’s rights cited in legal challenge launched against ‘bedroom tax’ – The Guardian

“A legal challenge has been launched on behalf of 10 disabled and vulnerable children against the government’s so-called ‘spare bedroom tax’, which is expected to lead to a reduction in benefits for hundreds of thousands of people because they have at least one unused room.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Report cites ‘catalogue of failings’ over killing of Kaiya, four – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 1st, 2013 in mental health, murder, news, reports, social services by tracey

“A report has cited a catalogue of failings by authorities after a mentally ill woman killed her four-year-old daughter.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 28th March 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Davies and another t/a All Stars Nursery (Appellants) v. The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Scotland) (Respondent) – Supreme Court

Posted February 28th, 2013 in appeals, children, law reports, Scotland, social services, Supreme Court by sally

Davies and another t/a All Stars Nursery (Appellants) v. The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Scotland) (Respondent) [2013] UKSC 12 | UKSC 2012/0048 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 27th February 2013

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Salgado González v Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS) and another – WLR Daily

Posted February 26th, 2013 in EC law, law reports, migrant workers, pensions, social services by sally

Salgado González v Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS) and another (Case C-282/11); [2013] WLR (D) 80

“Article 48FEU of the FEU Treaty and articles 3, 46(2)(a) and 47(1)(a) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 of 14 June 1971 on the application of social security schemes to employed persons, to self-employed persons and to members of their families moving within the Community (as amended), precluded legislation of a member state under which the theoretical amount of the retirement pension of a self-employed worker, migrant or non-migrant, was invariably calculated on contribution bases paid by that worker over a fixed reference period preceding the payment of his last contribution in that member state, to which a fixed divisor was applied, when it was impossible for either the duration of that period or the divisor to be adapted so as to take account of the fact that the worker concerned had exercised his right to freedom of movement.”

WLR Daily, 21st February 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Judge blocks ‘worrying’ attempt to take girl away from blind adoptive mother – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 18th, 2013 in adoption, carers, disabled persons, injunctions, local government, news, social services by sally

“A council has been blocked from removing a girl from her would-be adoptive mother who had gone blind, after a judge ruled social workers were wrong to assume that her visual impairment meant she was not a suitable parent.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th February 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judges ‘should talk to children before making care decisions’ – The Guardian

“Many children who end up in care are never interviewed by the judge who makes the decision to remove them from their families, according to a report by an influential group of MPs and child protection experts.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th February 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Many sex crimes by children ‘missed’ – BBC News

Posted February 7th, 2013 in children, news, reports, sexual offences, social services by sally

“Some social workers, teachers and police fail to tackle sexual offending by children and teenagers because they miss signs of inappropriate behaviour, according to a report.”

Full story

BBC News, 7th February 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government plans for radical overhaul of family law would do little to help improve lives of vulnerable children, warn charities – The Independent

“Charities warned that Government plans for a radical overhaul of family law including the introduction of shared parental leave would do little to help improve the lives of the most vulnerable children.”

Full story

The Independent, 5th February 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Barnet’s ‘easyCouncil’ faces judicial review over outsourcing – The Guardian

“The ‘easyCouncil’ model of no-frills local services is set to go on trial this spring after the High Court announced it will review a £320m services contract due to be outsourced by the Conservative-controlled London Borough of Barnet.”

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd January 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk