This invaluable guide to public child law has been fully updated to take account of all recent developments including the new provisions opening up the family courts to the media.

The focus is on providing a clear, practical text with an examination of the key cases and an emphasis on fact-based examples. There are bullet points at the beginning of each chapter summarising its content, procedural flowcharts and checklists.

The book is not simply a court work but is an essential publication for all legal practitioners and other related professionals, whether new to this important area of law, or more experienced.

The Hon Mr Justice McFarlane and Madeleine Reardon Barristers, 1 King's Bench Walk

• Child Protection and Adoption: Introduction
• Parental Responsibility and Disputes between Parents
• Local Authorities and the Family
• Referrals, Assessments and Emergency Intervention
• Care and Supervision Orders
• Adoption
• Secure Accommodation
• Wardship and the Inherent Jurisdiction
• Challengingthe Local Authority

Appendix 1

• Children Act 1989

Appendix 2

• Adoption and Children Act 2002

Appendix 3

• Family Proceedings Rules 1991

Appendix 4

• Family Procedure (Adoption) Rules 2005
  

"like a small briefcase-sized reference library to social workers ... quite simply this book simplifies the complex ... an excellent resource book that I would recommend to newly qualified social workers, experienced social workers and managers who work within the area of children and families"
CAFCASS

"a useful and comprehensive guide, which I will dip into frequently in my day-to-day work, as a handy check list and a reminder of key aspects of the law. The chapter on challenging the local authority is particularly helpful, while the explanation of wardship and the inherent jurisdiction of the high court is the clearest I have come across"
SEEN AND HEARD

"a welcome update.....comprehensive content.....explains those changes in very simple terms....informative, and with a jargon free approach...very useful...imformative...this text is very helpful...it is an excellent read and I could go on and on about how good it is, but your best bet is to buy it and see for yourself."
PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK

FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION

All professionals working with children, whether teachers, social workers,
nurses or doctors have at times to grapple with legal matters. This book is a
simple and accessible guide. It explains the jargon, whether this is the
categories of persons with parental responsibility, a section 8 order, hearsay
evidence, or inherent jurisdiction.

The book comprises eight main sections; an introduction to child protection
and adoption, ‘from 999 call to adoption’ as the authors put it; parental
responsibilities and disputes between parents; local authorities and the family;
referrals, assessments and emergency intervention; care and supervision orders;
adoption; secure accommodation; and wardship.

The contents comprise the legal nuts and bolts of all these topics. The authors
have managed to turn a dry subject (the law) into an explanation that requires
no legal or specialist knowledge on the part of the reader. The text is helpfully
broken up into small numbered elements, with numerous sub-headings, making
it simple to look up, and follow, any topic. The book also contains some useful
worked examples of problems, such as a 16-year-old boy in care, who has
moved to a new foster family following the breakdown of a previous
placement. The new foster parents lock him in his bedroom when he becomes
drunk and abusive. Was locking the door lawful? What should happen next?
For the answers, and for many other useful problem scenarios, read the book!

TIM DAVID
Professor of Child Health, University of Manchester
Honorary Consultant Paediatrician, Booth Hall Children’s Hospital,
Manchester
August 2006