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The Local Authority can become involved in your family life for a number of reasons. This may be because they think you or someone else in your family may have done something to harm the child/children. They can also become involved even if you do not give...
Depending upon the extent of the involvement by the Local Authority, you may be eligible for free legal help under three levels of public funding Legal Help Level 1, Legal Help Level 2 or Full Representation. The lowest level of Local Authority involvement...
The issue of smacking a child as a form of punishment or as a way to control a child’s behaviour is a contentious subject which divides public opinion. The issue has recently hit the headlines after Scotland introduced a law banning the smacking of...
The Local Authority have concerns about drug use and excessive use of alcohol around my children – what should I do? Worried family members, professionals or members of the public may notify the Local Authority of concerns about parents or carers...
During the first lockdown due to Covid-19 in March 2020, there was an alarming rise of 20% of accidental injuries in children under 12 months old. According to Ofsted, these children were either seriously injured or killed by a parent/carer. In...
It goes without saying that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact in virtually every aspect of our lives. Arguably, one of the most significant changes for us at Johnson Astills, and for our clients, is that court hearings for Family and...
The simple answer is yes. Your information can be disclosed and shared between proceedings governed by the 2013 protocol and good practice model . In Care Proceedings, there is a form Annex D that the Local Authority will complete and send to the police to...
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, Family Court hearings moved to remote hearings which take place over the telephone or via a video platform to allow for social distancing restrictions. Initially, all major hearings such as final...
Legal practitioners in the field of childcare law will be aware that Covid-19 epidemic has significantly challenged the family justice system. This article covers the issues around contact with a child in care and the legal principles, which govern it. The...
Care Proceedings begin when the Local Authority believe that your children have suffered or may be at risk of harm. The Local Authority will ask the Court to look at your situation and decide if the Local Authority should be granted a legal Order to...
The President of the Family Division has issued guidance on Transparency in Family Courts published on 16/1/14 to ‘immediately and significantly’ change the way cases are reported. There have been criticisms that the family courts are too secret...
The President, Sir J Munby has issued new guidance in relation to s.38(6) assessments and the recent decisions and indications relating to the reforms are important in gaining an understanding as to their implementation and practical effect in the cases...
Social services may have to help if you are homeless and you come under one of the following criteria; you are under 18 you are leaving care or you’re under 21 and have previously been in care you are an elderly person you have physical or mental...
Adoption applications are made for children by prospective adopters after care proceedings. Birth parents think this is the “be all and end all” for their children and they cannot oppose an adoption application. This is not the case. Once a...
In recent months, many parents have found themselves in a position where they have been denied legal aid. In the recent case of D (A Child) [2014] EWFC 39, Sir James Munby, the President of the Family Division said that there are only certain proceedings...
CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services) reported last week that in the month of January 2012 Local Authorities in the UK have made 903 applications to the court for Care Orders in relation to children who they believe to be at risk...
The national action plan for tackling child sexual exploitation, published on 23 November 2011, brings together for the first time actions by the Government and a range of national and local partners to protect children from this largely hidden form of...
The law relating to children is contained primarily in The Children Act 1989 which came into force on 14 th October 1991. The Act introduced dramatic changes in the law relating to children in that public law (matters with social services involvement)...
Recent cases in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court have looked at the way the issue of non-consensual adoption should be considered by the Courts. The first of these important judgments was given in Re B. (Re B (A Child) [2013] UKSC 33) The Supreme...
Ofsted released their first Social Care Annual Report for 2012/13 on the 15th October 2013 which identified that 1 in 7 Local Authorities has been reported to be ‘inadequate’ and some child safeguarding services are struggling to meet even...
Given the need to protect the children involved in family proceedings, hearings are held in private and journalists are not allowed in. Judgments can be publicised with names kept anonymous; it is the facts of the case the legal argument and the...
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