Criticism of the draft Disabled People’s Rights Plan
There is no reason to doubt the noble intentions of the Welsh Government in seeking to improve the rights of Disabled People. There is no reason to question the aspirational…
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Author: admin
A ‘sitting duck’ for allegations of fabricated or induced illness (FII)
The Sunday Times in its investigation into wrongful allegations of FII, carried a further harrowing story on 10 August 2025. It concerns Maeve Boothby O’Neill who died in 2021 (aged…
Read moreConference: September 15th ~ Leeds
Parent Blame: Where are we now? (Cerebra LEaP Project, Leeds University). For details click here.
Read moreConference: October 25th ~ Hereford
Tackling the Crisis In Children's Social Care Conference (The Families’ Alliance for Change): October 25th 2025. For details click here.
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A ‘sitting duck’ for allegations of fabricated or induced illness (FII)
The Sunday Times in its investigation into wrongful allegations of FII, carried a further harrowing story on 10 August 2025. It concerns Maeve Boothby O’Neill who died in 2021 (aged…
Read moreParental Alienation Syndrome (PAS)
For a fascinating paper in the Sheffield Tribune concerning PAS (that has strong FII echoes) click here.
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s117 MHA 1983 and ‘entrenched indifference’
A good colleague has summarised three ombudsman reports concerning the alarming failures by the key health and social care bodies in Peterborough with responsibility for providing support for a disabled…
Read moreGood Morning Britain & FII
For an extended ITV interview with a parent wrongly accused of FII, (broadcast on 21 July 2025) click here.
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Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII): further investigations
The Sunday Times has published a further article concerning its investigation into the false allegations that are being made against parents that they are fabricating or inducing their child’s illness. …
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Sunday Times FII investigation
A major article appeared in the Sunday Times on 20 July 2025 concerning its investigation into the impact that unsubstantiated Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) allegations are having on countless…
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A disregard for the humanity of those involved
Increasingly I am confronted by cases involving profoundly disabled children where the behaviour of the NHS takes my breath away. Of course, the NHS is generally spectacular when called upon…
Read moreHerefordshire Council (again)
The failings of Herefordshire Children’s Services have figured in a number of posts in these webpages and these accounts continue – for a recent and troubling Observer Newspaper story concerning…
Read moreInstitute for Government Report
For another – but nonetheless important – report on the political and economic costs of the disgraceful neglect of adult social care in England, click here.
Read moreFacilitated communication
For an important and profoundly troubling article concerning the use of 'facilitated communication' click here.
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Harm resulting from geniuine cases of Fabricated or Induced illness (FII)
A recent (May 2025) research paper by Professors Andy Bilson and Alessandro Talia involved a comprehensive review of Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) in England from 2010 to 2021. It found…
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Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII): a new critical report
St George's House, based in the grounds of Windsor Castle was founded in 1966 by the (then) Duke of Edinburgh and the (then) Dean of Windsor. It seeks to effect…
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FII ~ Welsh Government Failing to End the ‘Cruel Abuse’ of Autistic Parents and Autistic Children
Mark Isherwood North Wales MS and Chair of both the Cross-Party Autism Group and the Cross-Party Group on Disability, has endorsed the comments of one of his Flintshire constituent’s –…
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Special Needs Jungle Petition
There are strong rumours that the Government is planning to impose drastic restrictions on the provision of specialist educational support for children and young people – or indeed – scrapping…
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Why is ‘listening’ so difficult?
The Shropshire Parent and Carer Council has just published a powerful report ‘Mad, Sad, Glad’ that reflects on the feedback Parent Carers across their county have provided. Parent Carers were…
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Putting the record straight
The posting that follows, has been published by the disabled children’s charity Cerebra at https://cerebra.org.uk/legal-rights/putting-the-record-straight/. It is a response to the lecture delivered by Baroness Hale of Richmond at The…
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Families’ Alliance for Change
There is no shortage of Children’s Services’ authorities who have lost touch / stopped listening to the families that they are there to serve. As Lord Justice Munby said ‘the…
Read moreRelentless ICB cuts to Children’s NHS CC support
Arbitrary cuts by to gravely ill children's Continuing Care (CC) support packages appear (to me) to be occurring on a very regular basis. For a details of a crowd funding…
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The Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025
The 2025 Act Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on the 24 March 2025. Its major impact will be to restrict, in Wales, the making of…
Read moreCerebra mass participation event
For details of a 2,500 km Cerebra Fund Raising Relay of 250 stages from Scotland and through England and Wales in June / July’ click here.
Read moreParent Blame webinar
For details of an ADASS webinar (1.4.25) ‘Blamed Instead of Helped – Understanding Parental Blame in Autism Support’ click here.
Read moretoo afraid to grasp the nettle
For scathing criticism of Welsh Government social care reform inaction, click here.
Read moreChildren’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill
For a JUSTICE briefing concerning essential amendments to the Bill click here.
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Disabled children’s continence care services: a national scandal
A major research report has been published concerning the degrading experiences of many disabled children who are denied adequate continence support services. The report, ‘Inaccessible, unacceptable and unaccountable: the provision…
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Pam Coughlan
Pam Coughlan passed away on the 8th January 2025. Paralysed as a result of a spinal cord injury in 1971, she took on the Secretary of State for Health and…
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Law Commission’s consultation ~ Disabled Children’s Social Care
The deadline for commenting on the Law Commission’s Disabled Children’s Social Care Consultation Paper has been extended, and is now Friday 31 January 2025 (23:59). A copy of my response…
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Why everyone should be talking about Tash Ashby
Tash Ashby was 21 years old when she died. At the time of her death, she was street homeless, living in the undergrowth around Hereford bus station. Her lifeless body…
Read moreAutism and Parent Blame
An Association of Directors of Social Services (ADASS) report ‘Blamed Instead of Helped’ makes many important points, not least at page 12 - that autistic parents are three times more…
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Medically complex children, Children’s Continuing Care, and Children’s Social Care: dispatches from no-man’s land
A guest posting by Lisa Ballesteros. Background My son, T, wasn’t expected to survive the night. Born at 26 weeks gestation with an alphabet soup of medical conditions, he…
Read moreInherent jurisdiction detaining a minor
For a curious case involving Conwy Council and the Betsi Cadwaladr UHB click here and for a legal commentary on the judgment click here.
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Mental Health Bill ~ urgent amendment
A recent High Court judgment Sammut & Others v Next Steps Mental Healthcare Ltd & The Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust [2024] EWHC 2265 (KB) has identified a…
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High Court damages award for wrongful care proceedings
An important claim concerning wrongful care proceedings has finally been settled by an English Children’s Services council. The claim was brought by the campaigner Elly Chapple – the founder of…
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Accountability: what accountability?
In an earlier posting we referred to a judgment of the Newport Family Court that concerned dreadful behaviour by a Welsh council and a Welsh police force. We expressed concern…
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NHS Children and Young Peoples Continuing care and EHC Plans
An important judgment, R (A) v North Central London Integrated Care Board [2024] EWHC 2682 (Admin) that confirms the mandatory duty on ICBs to provide care plans that spell out…
Read moreA powerful short video
Grow Family Services – for an incredibly powerful video ‘A Parent’s Fight’ in which families describe the trauma of dealing with the SEND system – click here.
Read moreLaw Commission Paper
The Law Commission has published its Consultation Paper on the reform of Disabled Children's Social Care Law. On first reading it looks pretty positive. The consultation closes on the 22…
Read moreMumfighter – Swansea Grand Theatre
An important ‘must see’ play concerning a mother fighting for support and services in a world full of prejudice – it runs from October 15 – October 25 - click…
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A lack of rigour and candour
A damning report by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales[1] (PSOW) into ‘a serious service failure’ by the Wrexham Maelor Hospital compounded by the lack of both rigour and candour…
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A Newport Family Court judgment
An important (albeit partially redacted) judgment in the case of Re C (A Child) (Care Proceedings Withdrawal) [2024] EWFC 227 (B) has been published. The Transparency Project has released an…
Read more‘Complex’ BBC Sounds
A powerful series concerning the challenges faced by families with disabled children. Episode 1 (concerning Disabled Facilities Grants) accessed by clicking here.
Read moreMaking ‘Carers’ a protected category
For a Carers UK report on making unpaid carers the 10th protected category in the Equality Act 2010 click here.
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Call to withdraw FII guidance
In an Open Letter to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, a number of researchers and NGOs called for the withdrawal of its guidance concerning FII (Fabricated or…
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Systems Generated Trauma ~ survey
Cerebra and the University of Leeds are collaborating on research that seeks to better understand the extent to which parents of disabled children experience trauma as a result of navigating…
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Abolishing home care charges
The Disability Law Service has published a report that makes the case for the abolition of home care charges for Disabled adults in England. The research that underpins the report…
Read moreSystems Generated Trauma Conference
For a brief note on the above (including a link to recordings of its first two sessions) click here.
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Herefordshire children’s services – a public inquiry: if not here, then where?
A fascinating hustings took place in Hereford prior to the election concerning the ‘Crisis in Children's Services’. Nationally, as we all know, children's services are in crisis: a ‘scandal’ ……
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