Luke Clements is the Cerebra Professor of Law at Leeds University.
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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‘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 moreFor 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 moreFor 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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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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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 moreThe 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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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 moreAn expert panel discussion concerning Fabricated & Induced Illness (FII) organised by Autistic Parents UK - for details click here.
Read moreDonald Forrester of CASCADE will discuss his recently published book on social work and human rights. To register for the seminar click here.
Read moreThe 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 moreFor 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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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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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, the social care advice charity is crowdfunding to obtain barristers' views on undecided points of law – for details click here.
Read moreThe Bevan Commission’s report ‘The Foundations for the Future Model of Health and Care in Wales’ can be accessed by clicking here.
Read moreADSS 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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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 moreAn 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 moreFor Nathan Davies' Petition to the Senedd regarding Direct Payments in Wales click here.
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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 moreHomelessness: The Ethics of Gatekeeping convened by The Homelessness Best Practice CIC for details click here.
Read moreThe 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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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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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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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…
Read moreFor details of Trustee and Staff opportunities with Cerebra, the Disabled Children's Charity - click here.
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So, what was that all about? For some strange reason in 2020 the Department of Health and Social Care changed its mind concerning the determination of a person’s ordinary residence…
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An earlier posting[1] considered an important local government ombudsman decision. The decision confirmed that: (1) parents of disabled children have a right to opt for a direct payment even if…
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Guidance developed by independent Parent Carer Groups and individual parent carers will be launched at a webinar on the 12 July 2023 10:30am – 12:30pm. The document describes what they…
Read moreThe Welsh Government will be introducing legislation to enable direct payments to be paid to people receiving for NHS continuing health care funding. Click here for the announcement and for…
Read moreAn on-line survey by Cerebra concerning the accessibility and suitability of local Continence Support arrangements for Disabled Children can be accessed by clicking here.
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The Department for Education (DfE) has opened a consultation on its proposal to update the 2018 ‘Working Together’ guidance. It has summarised the overall aim of the update as a…
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A local authority accepted that a disabled person had eligible needs for support to develop and maintain personal relationships, and provided funding for him to attend a social and life…
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A submission to The Senedd Health & Social Care Committee concerning the state of social care in Wales by Ann James and Luke Clements can be accessed by clicking here…
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PANS and PANDAS are severe childhood impairments with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive behaviours, tics or eating restrictions that develop suddenly: conditions that can be accompanied by changes in normal behaviours, personality…
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As previous posting on these pages have sought to highlight,[1] there are in our opinion profound problems with the Welsh Government’s Guidance concerning the process by which eligibility for Continuing…
Read moreWe are seeking to further strengthen our disability research programme at the School of Law, Leeds University (closing date 15 May). For details, click here.
Read moreTo demonstrate support for the Cri de Cœur / call to action by three leading reviewers involved in Safeguarding Inquiries – click here
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There is an extensive body of English and Welsh law that requires local authorities to provide school / college transport for disabled young people.[1] What is often forgotten, however, is…
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Flicking though the current (March 2023) batch of Local Government Ombudsman’s Children and Education complaints decisions is like re-watching Groundhog Days. More than half of the complaints were not, for…
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Parent Blame is not simply a problem encountered by families when dealing with Children’s Services. It is, therefore, very welcome that West Midlands ADASS (the Association of Directors of Adult…
Read moreFor details of a FII (Fabricated or Induced Illness) event in Gloucester on 14 March click here.
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A report published by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory highlights the ‘extreme vulnerability’ of children who are the subject of High Court applications that seek to deprive them of their…
Read moreFor a new research report on this issue by Alice Running & Danielle Jata-Hall, click here.
Read moreThe School of Law, Leeds University is looking to appoint a Chair in Disability Law - for details click here.
Read moreThe PSOW is considering investigating the fitness for purpose of (and complaints about) 'Carers: Needs assessments'. For details click here.
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A provocative New Year posting from my good colleague Rachel Adam-Smith. . _______________ I love my dog. He’s non-verbal. I love…
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John Bangs OBE[1] reflects on the recent UN carers rights decision and its implications in relation to the duties of local health and social care authorities to provide a sufficiency…
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