Remote Hearings-the important part: what should I do Remote Hearings During the Covid-19 pandemic, all effective hearings were held remotely by telephone or video conferencing with the court’s permission. No formal application for a remote hearing was required. Since the ending of the lock down conditions set during the pandemic,… Continue reading
These are unprecedented times, there has been a need for all of us to adapt to the changing landscape we find ourselves in. This has been equally applicable to the Family Court and the Court of Protection, both changing to accommodate remote hearings relating to children and vulnerable adults. The… Continue reading
Positive changes for those involved in undertaking Special Guardianship Orders (SGO) or connected kinship assessments. This legal briefing outlines the changes introduced by the Interim Guidance issued by the Family Justice Council and the interim report of the public working group. Interim Guidance on SGOs In May 2019, The Family… Continue reading
A recent case highlights the importance of social work case records, in which the Judge advised the local authority to undertake training in gathering, preserving and disclosing evidence. Don’t be left vulnerable to the consequences of poor evidence, read the tips provided by Kingsley Knight on the importance of contemporaneous… Continue reading
What is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) You will no doubt be aware of the changes to data protection laws, known as GDPR, from the endless stream of emails asking for your consent to opt in. GDPR will come into effect on 25 May 2018. It introduces new laws on… Continue reading
Looking at one of those ‘zero tolerance’ posters the other day made me think how provoking they are and, therefore, achieving the exact opposite of their intended aim. The only response to aggressive and resistant behaviour is to manage the situation. In this blog, I introduce and outline the practical… Continue reading
The use of special guardianship orders (SGOs) have grown rapidly in recent years. However, the amount of time allowed to carry out thorough and robust assessments is often limited, particularly when the matter is already in court. At times, this has led to very tragic circumstances such as the death… Continue reading
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reported* an increase in children and adult law applications during 2016. This is likely to be placing even more pressure on social workers because, in addition to more court attendances, you also have greater legal responsibilities in preparation of court documents with shorter timescales. I… Continue reading
This question was raised at a recent training event I was delivering on Law for Social Workers. It resulted in an interesting discussion, which I considered would benefit other social care professionals. What is the problem? These days anyone with a smartphone can covertly record. The recording itself may not… Continue reading
Children and Social Work Act 2017 The government’s intention with this legislation was to overhaul social work. Read on to see what this means for frontline workers, vulnerable children and care leavers. There were mixed views as to whether this legislation once passed did result in the social work profession’s… Continue reading
