Category: social services

R (M) v Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 28th, 2008 in children, housing, law reports, social services by sally

R (M) v Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council [2008] UKHL 14; WLR (D) 64

“A child who had been provided with accommodation by the housing department of a local authority but had not been brought to the attention of their children’s services department had not been ‘looked after’ under s 22(1) of the Children Act 1989 and was accordingly not entitled, having reached 18, to support under the Act as a ‘former relevant child’.”

WLR Daily, 27th February 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.

Social workers put themselves above the law – The Times

Posted February 25th, 2008 in child abuse, social services, special report by sally

“In far too many cases social workers are putting themselves above the law. Doctors increasingly report that a child who is admitted to hospital has injuries that may be ‘nonaccidental’. This is translated by local authorities as proving guilt.”

Full story

The Times, 23rd February 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Teenager wins damages after council took baby – The Guardian

Posted February 19th, 2008 in children, damages, mental health, news, social services by sally

“Nottingham city council today agreed to pay damages to a teenage mother after admitting it acted unlawfully by taking away her newborn baby.”

Full story

The Guardian, 18th February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

30 health workers failed to spot murdered baby’s plight – The Guardian

Posted February 14th, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“A baby girl who was murdered by her father had been seen by 30 health care workers, yet none of them realised she was at risk, a report has found. Jessica Randall, who died when she was 54 days old, might still be alive if signs of abuse had been properly identified, according to the findings of an inquiry by Northamptonshire’s Local SafeGuarding Children Board.”

Full story

The Guardian, 14th February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Baby must remain in foster care – BBC News

Posted February 8th, 2008 in children, mental health, news, social services by sally

“An 18-year-old mother, whose baby was taken into local authority care hours after he was born, has had her appeal to get him back turned down.”

Full story

BBC News, 7th February 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Baby returned to mother must go into foster care, says judge – The Guardian

Posted February 4th, 2008 in children, mental health, news, social services by sally

“A baby taken from his 18-year-old mother by social workers two hours after his birth without court authority must go into foster care while further inquiries are made and assessments carried out, a district judge ruled yesterday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd February 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Climbié lessons not learned, says research – The Guardian

Posted February 4th, 2008 in child abuse, murder, news, social services by sally

“The social care professions have failed to heed the lessons of Lord Laming’s landmark inquiry into the murder of child abuse victim Victoria Climbié, government-funded research revealed yesterday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 1st Janaury 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Agencies ‘fail to prevent child abuse deaths’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 1st, 2008 in children, news, social services by sally

“Up to 100 children are dying every year from abuse and neglect in England because social workers and health professionals are too busy arguing over who is responsible for them, according to a report commissioned by the Government.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 1st February 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Mother faces new fight to keep baby – The Independent

Posted January 31st, 2008 in children, mental health, news, social services by sally

“A teenage mother reunited with her newborn baby by a judge yesterday will today face a social services application to take the boy away again.”

Full story

The Independent, 31st January 2008

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Social care rules ‘inconsistent’ – BBC News

Posted January 29th, 2008 in disabled persons, elderly, news, social services by sally

“The rules governing which elderly and disabled people in England are entitled to social care have been criticised.”

Full story

BBC News, 29th January 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Child protection plans ‘failing’ – BBC News

Posted January 23rd, 2008 in child abuse, news, social services by sally

“The man who wrote a damning report into the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie says he ‘despairs’ over further deaths of vulnerable children.”

Full story

BBC News, 22nd January 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

You should have taken me into care, says man who sued social services – The Times

Posted December 14th, 2007 in child abuse, damages, news, social services by sally

“A man who says that social workers left him to suffer the most cruel abuse at the hands of his brutal parents won £25,000 damages yesterday in a case that broke new legal ground.”

Full story

The Times, 14th December 2007

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Murder victim was failed by the system – The Guardian

Posted December 6th, 2007 in mental health, news, police, social services by sally

“Police, social workers and other agencies missed dozens of chances to intervene in the case of a man with severe learning difficulties who was tortured and drugged before plunging to his death from a viaduct, it emerged yesterday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 6th December 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Council takes overweight child into care – The Guardian

Posted September 10th, 2007 in children, news, obesity, social services by sally

“A child has been taken away from his parents because, it is understood, they were not coping with his disability and social workers became anxious about his weight.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th September 2007

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Baby battle woman can’t claim data protection exemption for YouTube video, warns expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 23rd, 2007 in adoption, data protection, internet, news, social services by sally

“The woman at the centre of a battle with social services over the future of her unborn baby will not be able to claim an exemption from the UK’s Data Protection Act, a legal expert has warned.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 22nd August 2007

Source: www.out-law.com

Call for scrutiny of professionals in child deaths – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 20th, 2007 in children, murder, news, social services by sally

“Social Services chiefs are investigating the murders of vulnerable children even though blunders by their own staff may have contributed to the tragedies, writes Ben Leapman.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 19th August 2007

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

YouTube row over social services baby threat – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 20th, 2007 in adoption, internet, news, social services by sally

“A heavily pregnant woman is at the centre of an extraordinary legal battle with social workers after she secretly recorded them threatening to take away her newborn baby.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 19th August 2007

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk