The child, who was only hours old was secretly filmed being removed from the family home in Staffordshire under an emergency protection order.
Seeking to protect the identity of the child, the County Council had applied for an injunction to the remove the footage. However the High Court, whilst making an order preventing the child from being identified by name, stated parents had the right to air their views.
By allowing the footage, the Judge’s ruling is likely to fuel the current public debate on the operation of the care and family justice system. For some time, concern has been expressed about the private nature of the court process, with many describing the proceedings as inappropriately 'secret'.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Sally Jones, children law specialist at Anthony Collins Solicitors commented:
“Whilst the interests of the parents are very important, these should be balanced against the need to deliver effective child protection. Excessive critical media exposure could well prove a deterrent to the recruitment and retention of social workers.
“The Judge’s decision reflects a growing Judicial desire for transparency in the very serious process of taking a child into care.
“Care proceedings are highly sensitive, serious and often very distressing cases. Before a child is removed from the family home, the case is evaluated by several experts and all parties, including parents and children are entitled to individual legal representation.
“This ensures that the best outcomes are achieved for some of the most vulnerable children in the region.”
If you’d like to know more, please contact Sally Jones on 0121 214 3720 or email sally.jones@anthonycollins.com.
Next in our series of ebriefings on the Government’s Green Paper: Transforming public procurement; looking at the Chapter 4 proposal to change the basis of contract awards.
The Academies Financial Handbook is updated annually by the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency; it contains a number of governance requirements for academy trusts.
Supreme Court publishes key decision for those working in the UK’s gig economy.
The 'Chocolate Snowman Appeal' is an amazing initiative that Anthony Collins Solicitors' (ACS) employees take part in every year.
The Building Safety Bill (the Bill) is said to be the most significant and wide-ranging change to the regulatory environment for higher risk building (HRBs) for over 45 years.
On 4 November 2020, the Restriction of Public Exit Payments Regulations 2020 (the Regulations) came into force; exit payments for the public sector were capped at £95,000.
The case was brought by the Official Receiver who sought disqualification orders under section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 (CDDA 1986) against the seven trustees of Kids Company and its CEO. It illustrates well the tension between the role of a fulltime paid CEO of a large charity and the role of its board as voluntary trustees/directors.
At the end of 2020, The Charity Governance Code was updated or 'refreshed' as it is termed on its website.
Anthony Collins Solicitors is today (Thursday 11 February) revealing the scale of its social impact during 2020.
In their first podcast of this series, current and future trainees will discuss their journey and route to securing a training contract at Anthony Collins Solicitors.
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