Public children law – 2024 update

Running family law cases will invariably involve issues surrounding children. This webinar will update practitioners on public children law, including the removal of children under interim care, the use of the FDAC process, cognitive function assessments, and recent developments in deprivation of liberty cases, as well as recent case law and changes in 2024.

Topics include:

• Practice direction updates
• Interim separation, including consideration of Re D (children: interim care order: hair strand testing)
• Vaccinations and parental responsibility, including consideration of A Local Authority  v WSP and others (A Child) (vaccination: religious objection) 2023 EWHC 2622 (Fam)
• Instructing experts
• Intermediaries, cognitive assessments and capacity
• Consideration of Re X & Y (intermediary: practice and procedure) 2024 EWHC 906 (Fam)
• Placement orders and leave to oppose adoption orders
• Secure accommodation and deprivation of liberty orders
• Fact-finding hearings and judgments
• Use of FDAC, including consideration of London Borough v A  2024 EWFC 46 (B)
• Police disclosure in public children law
• Reporting pilot and practice direction updates
• Judgments and clarification, with consideration of YM (care proceedings) (clarification of reason) 2024 EWCA Civ 71
• Case law update