- Children’s rights legal digest – November 2023Local Government Ombudsman recommends individual and service level remedies following council failings towards two children and their special guardians Background Mr and Mrs X started caring for two children (referred to in the decision as ‘B’ and ‘C’) as family foster carers after the children were removed from their home because of serious concerns about … Read more
- In advocates’ shoes – Autumn 2023In this issue we hear from the Youth Casework team at South London Refugee Association. The team undertakes advocacy type work with and on behalf of children in care and care leavers as part of their wider casework and support for children and young people under the age of 25 who are seeking asylum or … Read more
- Children’s rights legal digest – October 2023This judgment is connected to a set of proceedings relating to housing ([2022] EWHC 2008 (Admin)), education and social care provision by several public bodies across two local authority areas. Please note that the summary below relates to [2023] EWHC 489 (Admin) (07 March 2023), a claim by two children, ZB and DB, brought by … Read more
- Child protection report reveals nature of serious harms in careArticle 39 has obtained a report from the Department for Education containing devastating information about children dying and suffering serious harm in care in England. The Department for Education had refused to release the report for nearly two years, and was ordered to do so after Article 39 won an information rights tribunal case last … Read more
- Care for every child in careThe law changes on Saturday 28 October 2023, but it leaves thousands of children in care without care where they live. Find out more here, and meet the people leading a national campaign to fix this.
- Government consults on new advocacy standardsArticle 39 is delighted that the Department for Education is consulting on a revised set of national standards for children and young people’s advocacy services in England. The consultation runs until 18 December 2023. You can find our summary of the key changes, and other areas for improvement, here.
- Children’s rights legal digest – September 2023This judgment concerns three claims for judicial review: (1) Claim by ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking) against Kent County Council and the Home Secretary; (2) claim by Kent County Council against the Home Secretary (with Brighton & Hove City Council joining as an interested party); and (3) claim by Brighton & Hove City … Read more
- Tribunal orders release of child protection reportThe First-Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber (Information Rights) has ruled that the Department for Education must release a report to Article 39, which analyses 48 separate incidents where children in care died or suffered serious harm (judgment here). The report was produced by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, and shared with the Department for … Read more
- Pain finally banned as a form of restraint in child prisons – from February 2024A Ministry of Justice policy document published last week, effective from February 2024, for the first time instructs staff working in child prisons that they “are not permitted to use restraint techniques which deliberately cause pain”. When the policy is finally implemented, it will be nearly two decades since the death of 14 year-old Adam Rickwood at … Read more
- Children’s rights legal digest – August 2023Delays in investigating and implementing the recommendations following a complex Children Act 1989 complaint “excessive and unacceptable”, concludes Local Government Ombudsman The complaint Mr B, who is care experienced*, complained to the Ombudsman about excessive delays to the handing of a complaint he made under the Children Act 1989 about “failures towards him as a … Read more
