The Home Secretary Suella Braverman made a statement in the House of Commons on 22 May, setting out the government’s response to the seven-year Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). This was the UK’s largest-ever public inquiry, and its final report, published in October 2022, made 20 recommendations. Some of these recommendations had been … Read more
In this issue we zoom in on a 2018 judicial review in which the High Court found a local authority had failed to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need, breaching statutory duties under the Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004. In the same judgment, the High Court concluded a local housing … Read more
In this issue we examine a crucial 2018 decision of the Upper Tribunal which concerned an 11 year-old boy who has autism whose parents appealed against his fixed period exclusion from school for what the school described as ‘aggressive behaviour’. The Upper Tribunal found that, in the context of education, the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) … Read more
This month, we take a closer look at a January 2023 decision of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in which a local authority was found at fault for not following statutory guidance when supporting a boy unable to attend school because of health needs. This caused him to miss out on suitable education … Read more
Article 39 was in the High Court (Family Division) last Friday (24 March) seeking the court’s protection for unaccompanied children who have gone missing from a hotel run by the Home Office in Brighton and Hove. Through these proceedings, we are asking the family court to consider making individual children a ward of court, a … Read more