Lucy McHugh murder case: Stephen Nicholson jailed for life – BBC News
‘A lodger who raped and murdered a 13-year-old girl to stop her exposing him as an abuser has been jailed for life.’
BBC News, 19th July 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: social services
Father’s Day Revenge? Female perpetrated domestic abuse, homicide and suicide – Transparency Project
‘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.’
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
‘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.’
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
‘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.’
Local Government Lawyer, 5th July 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Christian wins appeal after being thrown off social work course – The Guardian
‘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.’
The Guardian, 3rd July 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Man who refused to register son’s birth loses high court case – The Guardian
‘A man who refused to register his son’s birth because he says he does not want him to be controlled by the state has lost a high court case.’
The Guardian, 23rd June 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Social worker struck off over sex ‘contract’ – BBC News
‘A social worker found to have groomed a vulnerable 19-year-old for sex and made him sign a “relationship contract” has been struck off.’
BBC News, 21st June 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘We were tortured by our own father’ – BBC News
‘Jack and Sean – not their real names – suffered severe abuse from their father for more than 15 years.’
BBC News, 13th June 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Report: evidence of Huddersfield grooming ring not followed up – The Guardian
‘Opportunities were lost to tackle one of Britain’s largest grooming rings when information about two vulnerable girls being sexually exploited was not followed up, a review has found.’
The Guardian, 10th June 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Stanhope Castle school abuse claims ‘groundless’, said 1979 report – BBC News
‘Allegations of abuse at a scandal-hit school were dismissed as “groundless”, a report leaked to the BBC has shown.’
BBC News, 2nd April 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Government backs down over ‘myth-busting’ guide on child protection – The Guardian
‘The government has withdrawn a controversial document that claims some statutory protections for vulnerable children are “myths”, after a charity launched an application for judicial review, the Guardian has learned.’
The Guardian, 24th March 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Phillip Nicholson: ‘Chances missed’ to protect murdered man – BBC News
‘A vulnerable man who was murdered by his ex-partner and her lover could have been better protected, a review found.’
BBC News, 14th March 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
A Brief Guide to Carrying out Capacity Assessments -39 Essex Chambers
‘This purpose of this document is to provide for social workers and those working in front-line clinical settings a brief overview of the law and principles relating to the assessment of capacity. Its focus is on (a) how to apply the MCA 2005 principles when assessing capacity; and (b) how to record your assessment, primarily in the context of health and welfare decisions.’
39 Essex Chambers, March 2019
Government faces High Court action over children’s rights – BBC News
‘A children’s charity is taking High Court action against the government over its claims that some protections of children in care are “myths”. The Article 39 charity is seeking a judicial review of Department for Education guidance to local councils responsible for vulnerable children.’
BBC News, 22nd February 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Newspapers secure summary judgment over libel claims brought by social worker – Local Government Lawyer
‘Two national newspaper groups have obtained summary judgment over libel claims brought by a former senior social worker.’
Local Government Lawyer, 16th January 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Woman ordered not to contact son spared jail for going to parents’ evening – The Guardian
‘A woman under orders not to contact her son has been spared jail for accepting an invitation to attend a parents’ evening at his London school.’
The Guardian, 14th January 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
Opinion: Why do we separate the mother and child victims of domestic abuse? – Family Law
‘Domestic abuse hurts children, whether they are the direct target, or find themselves witness to warfare in their home. The latest government figures show that half of all children assessed as needing social services support are in that plight through domestic abuse – and when social workers feel a child is no longer safe at home, they can be removed into the care system. This means being taken away from their mothers – typically the victim in all this. But she’s not usually the one being violent. Most often, it’s the children’s father or stepfather who is. As rates of reported domestic abuse soar – incidents sufficiently serious to be recorded by police as crimes rose 5% between 2016 and 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics – it’s estimated by the charity Safe Lives that 130,000 children live in households with “high‑risk” domestic abuse. So why are victims investigated by social services, rather than the perpetrators who cause such physical and mental harm?’
Family Law, 14th January 2018
Source: www.familylaw.co.uk
Sexual assault victims waiting a year for counselling, MPs say – The Guardian
‘Sexual assault victims are waiting up to 14 months for counselling as specialist support services struggle to cope with unprecedented demand, MPs have said.’
The Guardian, 11th December 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
