Francesca Massarella reports on a case which considered when it is necessary to deprive a child’s liberty because they are ‘beyond parental control’ in the context of s.31(2) Children Act 1989.

Where a local authority determines that the medical evidence falls short of proving that an injury to a child was deliberately inflicted, in what circumstances should it be allowed to withdraw its application? Laura Vickers reports.

Steven Ford QC, Andrea Ward and Joanne Kingsland report on a council's successful bid to secure a strike out, following the Supreme Court ruling in CN & GN v Poole, of a 'failure to remove' claim.

Georgina Dalton summarises the latest public law children rulings, covering issues such as contact during care, changing the nationality of children in care, and practice on granting short-term stays.

David Josty discusses a recent Court of Appeal ruling on the scope of a local authority's decision making in a relation to the national identity of a child in care.

A mother recently won an appeal from a case management decision to exclude similar fact evidence in private family proceedings, ahead of a fact-finding hearing. The issues apply to public law cases as well, writes Hazel Samuriwo.

Matthew White analyses the first recorded High Court judgment concerning journalistic access to the court file in public law family proceedings.

Georgina Dalton summarises the latest Court of Appeal and High Court Family Division rulings, which cover issues such as regulated placements, the inherent jurisdiction and habitual residence, and a flawed hybrid hearing during the pandemic.

The Court of Appeal has confirmed that the ordinary principles governing applications for contact with children in care continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though outcomes may well be affected by the practical difficulties that are being faced. Hazel Samuriwo outlines the judgment.

A recent judgment of the Court of Appeal should serve as a reminder to practitioners in the field of Children Law that each case has to be considered on its peculiar facts and by reference, where applicable, to the welfare checklist in section 1 of the Children Act 1989 or the enhanced welfare checklist contained in section 1 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, writes Richard Alomo.

A court recently refused to strike out claim against social services for failure to remove a child at risk of abuse, even when that child a) was not in custody and b) there was no averment that social services had made matters worse. William Chapman explains why.

The High Court recently ruled that a Christian foster service must allow gay parents to sign up as carers. Aileen McColgan QC analyses the judgment.

In a recent judgment, The Hon. Mr Justice Mostyn described a claim that a local authority could provide tracheostomy care for a child pursuant to the general power of competence in s. 1 of the Localism Act 2011 as ‘misconceived’. Christine Cooper summarises the judgment.

Patrick Gilmore talks about forced marriage and the recent decision of Re K, which is an important decision from the President of the Family Division.

An Upper Tribunal judge recently placed only limited weight placed on a local authority age assessment, and also provided guidance as to the reliability of social media evidence. Siân Davies sets out the key points from the ruling.

Georgina Dalton reviews recent childcare rulings in relation to the family courts and previous assessments of risk of FGM, and on competing Article 6 and Article 8 rights in a hybrid contested hearing.

Hannah Whitehouse summarises two recent decisions by a High Court judge in relation to diplomatic immunity and public law children proceedings that are likely to be significant and have wide-reaching ramifications.

In this family law webinar, Michael Jones gives a public law update on babies relinquished for adoption.

A recent judgment incorporated a useful overview of how best to approach cases involving a parent with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and the reasonable adjustments which may need to be made, writes Anna Sutcliffe.

This Practice Note provides practical guidance on key aspects of procedure and the PLO 2014 for public children proceedings.