Article 39 children’s rights charity has today (29 April) formally written to the government threatening legal action to protect the rights of 16 and 17 year-old children in care. In February, the Department for Education announced the outcome of its consultation on the use of unregulated accommodation for children in care and care leavers. This … Read more
In December 2020, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) found a local authority at fault for failing to properly assess, plan and support a 15-year-old boy, S, in preparation for and following his release from custody. Inadequate and delayed assessment and planning prevented S’s early release, which unnecessarily extended his time in custody, … Read more
While the Southwark judgment and the resulting statutory guidance clarified the legal duties of local authorities in supporting 16 and 17-year-olds who are homeless, practice remains varied across the country. Last year, research by Just for Kids Law found that many 16 and 17 year-olds continue to be accommodated under Section 17 of the Children … Read more
This month we share some of the key takeaways from a recent significant Court of Appeal judgment which confirmed that the principles set out in the Children Act 1989 continue to apply and must inform decisions about contact between children in care and their families during the Covid-19 pandemic. We also reference a couple of … Read more
A number of recent court judgments have highlighted the severe lack of secure accommodation in England and the growing trend of depriving children of their liberty in unregulated and unregistered settings. We covered one of these cases in the May issue of our legal digest. This month, we are looking at another such case and use it as … Read more