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
Does the mere thought of attending court make you fearful or anxious? Come and get some tips on how to become an impressive witness. Does the thought of having to go to court feel like an exciting prospect or does it make you feel uncomfortable, nervous or perhaps frightened, Are your… Continue reading
Local authority social workers preparing court statements, are you up to date? Today’s briefing gives an update on the national social work template. Practice areas affected Local Authority children’ social workers from the children’s safeguarding teams, children’s guardians and social workers from the fostering and adoption teams. Introduction The national… Continue reading
This guide supports practitioners and professionals by detailing not just the recent changes in the law but also, and more importantly, how these changes are being applied in practice. It is an invaluable resource for all those involved in the family justice process. Considerable changes to the family justice system,… Continue reading
Essential and necessary information for all Local Authorities. Special Guardianship Orders were created under the Adoption and Children Act 2002, which introduced this as a new performance option for children which came into effect from December 2005. A special guardianship order (SGO) gives parental responsibility for a child to a… Continue reading
Our director, Shefali Shah, recently contributed to Research In Practice’s latest Strategic Briefing: Independent Reviewing Officers. About this briefing The Children and Families Act 2014, a number of recent research projects and Serious Case Review (SCR) evidence all highlight themes that have implications for Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) services. This… Continue reading
One of the great qualities that a social care worker should possess is the ability to communicate clearly. This skill also needs to be transferrable in any written work that the social care worker produces. The need for clear oral and written communication was recently highlighted in a reported care case {Derbyshire County Council v SH [2015] EWFC B102}. In this case the Judge was highly critical of the social workers and named them personally in the judgement. Continue reading
Summary This briefing will give an outline of the new national social work template which is to implemented on a national basis for all local authorities within the next 6 months. Each local authority can choose it’s own timetable in the transition from their local template to use of the… Continue reading
Summary This briefing will examine the two appeal cases which are considered to have far-reaching implications on cases on permanence option available for a child who is subject to care or adoption proceedings. The impact of these cases has arguably required a complete rethink of the way in which evidence… Continue reading
