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Landmark care challenge

21 September 2022
Issue: 7995 / Categories: Legal News , Human rights , Local government , Child law
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A former looked-after child can bring a human rights claim against council authorities for failing to remove him from the care of his mother soon enough, the Court of Appeal has agreed.

The court granted permission this month for the appeal to proceed and the landmark case is due to be heard next year.

In AB v Worcestershire County Council & Anor [2022] EWHC 115 (QB), AB (via a litigation friend) argued he should have been removed at an earlier date to save him from the abuse and neglect he suffered. He brought claims for breach of Art 3 and Art 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998. Margaret Obi, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, struck out the claims after a successful application by the local authorities, stating there was ‘no realistic prospect’ of the Art 3 claim succeeding, nor did the Art 6 claim disclose a legally recognisable claim.

However, AB (via his litigation friend) argued the judge had misapplied the test to determine whether a duty arises under Art 3, and sought permission to appeal, which has now been granted.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
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