A High Court judge has rejected a local authority’s application for a declaration from the court that because a vulnerable young person was detainable under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983, the court did not have jurisdiction to grant a Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) order pursuant to the inherent jurisdiction.

The Family Presiding Judge for London has written to children law practitioners in London about compliance with the Public Law Outline (PLO), after observing that the capital is “struggling to achieve the change of culture that is required” by the relaunch.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has recommended Worcestershire Council pay a remedy of more than £11,000 after a child with special educational needs missed out on five and a half terms of education due to failures by the authority.

A County Court judge has issued a declaration that Northumberland Council breached the rights of a disabled child under Article 8 of the European Court of Human Rights (the right to private and family life) after it unlawfully issued care proceedings.

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has described Government plans to suspend payment by results as “a hugely positive step towards ensuring that the limited funds in the system are used in the best interest of children and families”.

The Court of Appeal has rejected a father’s appeal against care and placement orders made in respect of his daughter, finding that while his subsequent diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) may have had a “bearing” on some of the risks identified in the case, the majority and the most serious identified risks were not linked to ASD.

Care reforms set to be announced by the Government today (18 November) will aim to “rebalance” the children’s social care system in favour of early intervention, “giving every family the legal right to be involved in decisions made about children entering the care system”.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for “urgent” funding for children’s services, after figures released by the Department for Education yesterday (14 November) revealed there are 83,630 children in the care of councils.

A third of vulnerable young people in council care had to be placed in accommodation miles from their home last year, research by the County Councils Network (CCN) has found.

The High Court has discharged a Prohibited Steps Order (PSO) made to protect a now teenage girl against the risks of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), after finding “no evidence” of an ongoing risk of FGM to the girl, and finding that the order continued to have a “profound impact on her competing rights and freedoms”.

A judge sitting in the Family Court has rejected an application by a media organisation for a council and a police force involved in care proceedings to be named, in a case where the authorities were found to be at fault for their actions.

Unit Chambers has bolstered its family law, child protection and Court of Protection offering with the arrival of three barristers.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has highlighted key learning points from a number of cases where councils have delayed responding to requests from adoptive families to help with support post-adoption.

A report by the Public Law Working Group (PLWG) has highlighted the need for “wholesale reform” to the adoption process, including a change in face to face contact between adopted children and birth families, and the development of a national strategy for adoption by consent.

The Court of Appeal has allowed a local authority’s appeal against a judge’s refusal to make placement orders in respect of two young children.

The family court reporting pilot will extend to include public and private law cases before magistrates in all 19 current pilot areas from 4 November.

While professionals are working to improve data and its supporting infrastructure, the family justice system “lags far behind” other public services in terms of data availability and quality, a report by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) has claimed.

The Government has announced its plans to commit £1.4 billion to ensure the delivery of the existing School Rebuilding Programme, alongside funding for children’s social care, breakfast clubs and early years childcare.

The High Court has granted interim relief requiring Kent County Council to treat an asylum seeker in accordance with his claimed age under the Children Act 1989, pending determination of his age or further order.

The Court of Appeal has rejected a mother’s appeal against a judge’s decision to place her in the “pool of perpetrators” of injuries inflicted on her youngest child, after the judge was unable to make a finding on the balance of probabilities whether the injuries were inflicted by her or her partner.

The High Court has allowed a judicial review claim regarding Monmouthshire County Council’s failure to make arrangements to provide the claimant with supported suitable living accommodation from the end of that month when he celebrated his 18th birthday, before which he was in the care of the council as a looked-after child.

Jennifer Grehan, a specialist in Children’s Law, the Court of Protection, and International Family Law, has joined Unit Chambers.

A BBC investigation has found a reduction in spend on legal services by councils, including on counsel for children's social care cases, alongside cuts to social workers and safeguarding teams.

The Department for Education has published statutory guidance for local authorities and their staff, setting out how councils should support children in kinship care and kinship carers.

Family Court Advisors and Children’s Guardians will no longer use language such as ‘claims’ or ‘alleges’ in reports to court, using instead the words of children and adults who are victims of domestic abuse, in line with a new Domestic Abuse Practice Policy published by Cafcass.

The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) and research agencies Verian and Alma Economics are to carry out a “robust evaluation” of three Department for Education-funded pilots aimed at reducing unnecessary family court delays in England.

New figures published by the Department for Education show there were a record 225,400 child protection investigations in the year to 31 March 2023 in England – the equivalent of 617 a day - prompting the Local Government Association to call on the Chancellor to use the Budget to ensure councils are “fully funded and resourced to tackle the rising demand for support from vulnerable children”.

The Law Commission has today (8 October) published a consultation paper on disabled children’s social care law, as part of a review to ensure it is fairer, simpler and more up to date.