too afraid to grasp the nettle
For scathing criticism of Welsh Government social care reform inaction, click here.
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Children’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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Systems Generated Trauma
‘Trauma related practice’ is a phrase increasingly used by public bodies to convey their awareness that many of those with whom they interact have experienced life changing traumas. As a…
Read moreElection Hustings Hereford
For a chance to hear Herefordshire Parliamentary Candidates answer questions concerning 'the crisis in children's services' at a meeting on the 18th June - click here.
Read moreCriticism of the Ombudsman
For a news item in Nation.Cymru concerning the actions of a Welsh Council and the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, click here.
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Health and Social Care (Wales) Bill
The Health and Social Care Committee has launched a consultation to inform its scrutiny of the recently introduced Health and Social Care (Wales) Bill. The consultation closes on the 28th…
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Innovative short breaks scheme for parent carers
We all need quality ‘short breaks’ – but for many parents of disabled children they are a distant dream. Fit for purpose ‘breaks’ from heavy caring commitments depend on several…
Read moreNational Office for Care and Support (NOCS)
The Welsh Government has launched the NOCS – the first rung in the ladder to the National Care and Support Service. For details click here.
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Revised school transport guidance (England)
Cerebra, IPSEA, SOS!SEN and Contact have jointly written and article expressing concern about revised school transport guidance issued by the Department for Education and inviting families to complete a short…
Read moreFII on-line discussion: 29 April
An expert panel discussion concerning Fabricated & Induced Illness (FII) organised by Autistic Parents UK - for details click here.
Read moreOn-Line Seminar 10 April a 1pm
Donald Forrester of CASCADE will discuss his recently published book on social work and human rights. To register for the seminar click here.
Read moreSocial care charging consultation
The Welsh Government is proposing to raising the current charging cap for non-residential care from £100 to £120 per week. The announcement can accessed by clicking here and a commentary…
Read moreFII questions in the Welsh Parliament
For a details of questions raised by Senedd Member Mark Isherwood concerning the prevalence of Fabricated or Induced Illness allegations in Wales - click here.
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Senedd Member’s concern about the prevalence and impact of allegations of Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) in Wales
North Wales Member of the Senedd and Chair its Cross-Party Autism Group, Mark Isherwood, has raised concerns with the Minister for Health and Social Services that parents of neurodiverse children…
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Decision making quality and the Local Government Ombudsman
Cerebra, the disabled children’s charity has published[1] an important and troubling analysis of data concerning the performance of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO). Over a decade of…
Read moreCASCAIDr crowdfunding
CASCAIDr, the social care advice charity is crowdfunding to obtain barristers' views on undecided points of law – for details click here.
Read moreReforming health and care services in Wales
The Bevan Commission’s report ‘The Foundations for the Future Model of Health and Care in Wales’ can be accessed by clicking here.
Read moreA Vision for Social Care in Wales
ADSS Cymru, Solace Wales, CLILC WLGA and Social Care Wales have jointly published a report with this title – which can be accessed by clicking here.
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Jam tomorrow – maybe: the revised Working Together guidance.
As expected, disabled children and their families will be disappointed by the updated 2023 Working Together guidance. Despite compelling evidence that local authority assessment and care planning protocols discriminate against…
Read moreCarers survey
An NHS England survey to better understand carers experiences of care plans can be accessed by clicking here. Unreasonably short timeline (it closes 2nd January) but an important issue nevertheless.
Read moreDisability Activist Nathan Davies’ Petition
For Nathan Davies' Petition to the Senedd regarding Direct Payments in Wales click here.
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Special Guardianship allowance ~ Ombudsman report
A recent report by the Public Services Ombudsman Wales (PSOW)[1] arose out of a complaint that a local authority had failed to implement the recommendations of a Stage 2 Independent…
Read moreWebinar 7.30pm 23 November 2023
Homelessness: The Ethics of Gatekeeping convened by The Homelessness Best Practice CIC for details click here.
Read moreNHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
The Department of Health and Social Care has mistakenly tweaked the Framework Guidance in an way that fails reflect changes made by the Care Act 2014. For a posting by…
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Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) research report
FII is a term adopted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health – in essence – to replace what was previously referred to as ‘Munchausen syndrome by proxy’.…
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Independent living when a care home might be ‘cheaper’
Can local authorities refuse to fund a home care package if it is cheaper for the person’s needs to be met in a care home? Where there is more than…
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