Keira Bell’s case, which began on October 7th 2020 has provoked a lot of comment about the issues of children and their capacity to consent to medical treatment. This is an attempt to provide a quick over view in easy to understand language. If you are interested in this area in greater detail, I set […]
Imogen (No. 6) [2020] FamCA 761; (10 September 2020) This is a post by Sarah Phillimore. This is a case from the Family Court in Australia – so of interest to those of us in England and Wales as our jurisdictions share a common history. It is a case that makes much of Gillick competence […]
This is a post by Sarah Phillimore. I was interested to read the decision of Re S (Parental Alienation: Cult), a judgment handed down on April 29th 2020. It covers so much of what has been interesting and challenging for me throughout my career. The damage that even loving parents can do to their children, […]
This is a post by Sarah Phillimore On Friday January 24th 2020 I was alerted to the recently launched ‘Commentary on the LGBT Bullying and Hate Crime Schools Project Classroom activities and guidance for teachers’ [EDIT this guidance is no longer available at this link. It was removed from circulation and withdrawn after the CPS […]
This is a post by Sarah Phillimore And what are the dangers for children of ignoring this? TLDR: However intelligent or articulate a child is, they do not necessarily have the same ability as adults to make decisions, particularly those with long term consequences. The capacity of any child under 16 to make decisions about […]
This is a post by Sarah Phillimore. I was sent a copy of an article this evening. It appears in the October edition of ‘Professional Social Work Magazine’ which I am told is a publication for those who belong to the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) a powerful and influential organisation which claims over 20,000 […]
This is a post by Sarah Phillimore I was delighted to be asked to speak on July 27th 2019 by Make More Noise. As the organisers say: There has been a surge of Feminist activism across the UK in the past year. Women are agitated and organised. We are finding our voice and our voice […]
This is a post by Sarah Phillimore On March 26th I was alerted to what I was told was a blog post by a lawyer for the charity Mermaids. The lawyer does not identify him or herself or claim any affiliation to Mermaids but the title of the blog is clearly identified as about ‘Trans […]
But have you stood the test of time? “Is the Act fit for purpose? Overwhelmingly yes. Able to use its basic structure to allow us to embrace changing concepts in society. Where it is failing is not where its ethos is flawed but because its ethos required it to be funded – to deliver services […]
This post looks at the legal and practical difficulties parents may face if they disagree with doctors or social workers about the medical treatment their child needs. Doctors cannot examine or treat anyone without getting consent, unless the situation is life threatening and urgent. Medical intervention can range from the trivial to the really serious […]