Archive for the ‘Child Care’ Category

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Huddersfield Solicitors hit the £1 million jackpot for Grannies and carers!

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

Ridley & Hall Solicitors HuddersfieldIn a stunning 6 week period, over £165000 has been awarded to grandparent carers, and two kinship carers. The money is back payments of fostering allowances to help to them care for children placed with them by local authorities. It takes Ridley and Hall fight for money for carers to well over £1million.

Background

Susan Cawtherley, solicitor at specialist Huddersfield law firm Ridley and Hall said “The grandparents and the kinship carers’ have finally been awarded the financial support that they were due from 4 local authorities.

The background to these cases is the parents were unable to care for the children. The local authorities made arrangements for the children to move in with their grandparents or relatives. Social services are leaving children with grandparents or siblings and this is happening all over the country.

We are very pleased that these local authorities have agreed to pay the financial support our client’s richly deserve”.

If our clients’ had not taken these children into their care, they would have been placed with stranger foster carers. The cost to the local authority for foster carers could have been much higher. Local authorities have now to pay grandparent and kinship carers the same as unrelated foster carers.

In addition all the research shows that it is better that children are looked after by a family members. They fare much better than those in the care of Stranger foster parents.

Local authorities need to acknowledge the vital role grandparent and siblings play in the lives of theses children. Financial support should be provided at the very start to ensure the stability of these families.

In all these cases the carers have had to come to us to get legal advice because they’ve been banging their heads against a brick wall trying to get the local authorities to pay what they are meant to.

Our client’s have struggled financially to pay for the up keep of the children. Experts at the Fostering Network research shows it costs more to look after child who has had a chaotic lifestyle and has had to be fostered.

Grandparents Legal Centre

Nigel Priestley, Senior Partner commented,

Ridley and Hall is the leading firm in the country fighting for the rights of Grandparent and Kinship carers.  We represent carers from across the country – in these cases they were from the Midlands, the North West and from Yorkshire. Carers come to Huddersfield from all over because they know we understand their problems and will fight for them.

Since we began challenging local authorities to comply with their legal duties in 2004 our clients have been paid back pay of well over £1 million – these recent payments have come at just the right time for hard pressed families. On top of these back payments carers have begun to receive weekly fostering allowances.

These carers cannot be identified for legal reasons. They are pleased they have got this far. These families need this support and it should have been in place from the start. The carers should not have been put in a position where they were forced to take legal action.

Ridley and Hall set up the Grandparents Legal Centre because grandparents are entitled to the best advice available.

“We have a brilliant team – the picture shows how much the clients appreciated the work Susan Cawtherley and her assistant Kelly Thornton-Lawrence. They sent them a bottle of Bollinger Champagne!”

For further information please visit www.ridleyhall.co.uk or www.grandparentslegalcentre.co.uk or call 01484 538421

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Whose side are the courts on? Can legislation make shared parenting work?

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Ridley & Hall Solicitors Huddersfield Family LawWhen a relationship breaks down, do the Courts take sides when issues of residence or contact have to be sorted out? Some fathers feel that there is a bias to mothers – many mothers consider this isn’t the case.

The Government wants to put an end to such thinking. It has just published its ‘Response to the Family Justice Review’. It is determined to make clear that there will be a legal right for the children to have a relationship with both parents after divorce or separation and ensure that more children from separated families enjoy close relationships with both their parents.

In respect of shared parenting the government considers there is a need to clarify and restore public confidence that the courts recognise the joint nature of parenting. It will therefore legislate to emphasise the importance of children having an ongoing relationship with both their parents after family separation, where that is safe, and in the child’s best interests.

Meena Kumari Head of Family Law at Ridley and Hall Solicitors commented:

“Parental separation leads to thousands of children losing meaningful contact with a non resident parent who once was an integral part of the family unit involved in all aspects of the child’s welfare and development.

“The rules will make it much clearer that it is vital for children to have ongoing relationships with both parents unless there are concerns about the parent’s behaviour affecting the child’s welfare.

The changes are part of an overhaul of family law where a presumption of shared parenting will give stronger rights for parents to see their children and provide recognition of equal parenting which is currently absent in the law.

The Government intends that this change will provide loving absent parents with a greater and stronger position of contact with their children after separation rather than relying on Court or the other parent to determine their contact and access. Some commentators are concerned that similar legislation introduced in Australia in 2006 had a negative effect in encouraging more litigation between parents”.

The change in law however will not guarantee equal access as sought by many family rights campaigners.

Can legislation solve the often bitter disputes over residence and contact? Only time will tell.”

For further information and advice about family law issues, please contact Meena Kumari at Ridley & Hall Solicitors, Queens House, 35 Market Street, Huddersfield, HD1 2HL, Tel: 01484 538421 or visit www.ridleyandhall.co.uk

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Huddersfield Solicitor wins Court of Appeal decision for Kent Grandmother

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Ridley & Hall Solicitors Huddersfield A Grandmother who has battled for 6 years with Kent County Council to be paid the same rate as a foster carer for looking after her granddaughter, has won her case in the Court of Appeal in London.

Kent County Council has convincingly lost a challenge in the Court of Appeal. In a judgement handed down on 10th November 2011,   the three Appeal Court judges unanimously threw out a challenge by Kent against a decision made in 2010 in the High Court. The decision was that Kent had a duty to support a Grandparent caring for her granddaughter.

FACTS

The grandmother who cannot be named for legal reasons, fought for the right to be paid fairly for looking after the 16 year-old girl since she took over her care at the eleventh hour in 2005 at the request of Kent social services.

The grandmother who has now retired to look after the child was receiving just £63.56 a week for her care – over £80 per week short of the average foster parent who at the time were getting around £146.23 weekly. She is now 65 years of age.

The child in question had been looked after her mother, but social services had contacted her grandmother just before Christmas in 2004. She was faced with the stark choice – “Care for the child or she goes into care”.

The council then took the “very unusual” standpoint that the grandmother’s care of the child was a private arrangement between the mother and grandfather.

Nigel Priestley, of Huddersfield law firm Ridley & Hall, who represented the grandmother,  launched a judicial review to challenge the decision of the authority.

Her case was heard before the High Court in London in May last year. Kent County Council fought the case all the way. The judge confirmed that this was the only action she could have taken to make Kent change its mind

In the original landmark decision, Mrs Justice Black gave judgement  against the County Council. The decision meant that the grandmother would receive the same support as a foster carer. She would also get back payments from the council for their failure to pay the right allowance.

Kent County Council were determined to fight this decision all the way. They indicated their wish to challenge the judge’s reasons – she gave leave to the County Council to appeal her decision. The Appeal was heard in May but the decision of the Court of Appeal was released on 10th November.

Commenting on the Court of Appeal’s decision, Mr Priestley said:

“Local Authorities across the country have been waiting for this decision. They were roaring Kent on from the terraces. It will be a major blow to them that Kent lost 3:0!

“We’re delighted with the outcome. The County Council argued that they had no duty to the child even though their fingerprints were all over the case. Kent holds itself out as a model authority but it has been left with egg on its face. It put forward the radical suggestion that it had no significant financial duty to a child they had placed with a relative. They denied that she should be treated as a “looked after” child. The Judge rejected this argument. The Court of Appeal agreed with her.

“This appeal should not have been necessary. It was a waste of Council Tax payers’ money at a time when services are being cut. Mrs Justice Black is highly respected. She has since been appointed to serve as a judge in the Court of Appeal.

This is a landmark case for Kent. It has implications for many children Kent has placed with relatives. Many carers will be losing out. That’s why Kent wanted to appeal the decision.

Sadly it shows just how little they value the relatives who are making enormous sacrifices for their grandchildren”

Mr Priestley added that his client is doing a fantastic job looking after her granddaughter, but she should not have had to seek sue Kent. He said:

“She needed support from the local authority, but she found it lacking.”

“It is now going to cost Kent a five-figure sum in legal costs and back payments.  This court case will remind local authorities across England and Wales what they should and should not be doing.’’

THE GRANDMOTHER’S COMMENTS

The grandmother said: “I am no different from the thousands of Grandparents and other relatives stepping in to care for children because there is a shortage of foster parents and carers.

“We shouldn’t have to find ourselves battling with the local authority for support. “I was asked by the local authority to step into the breach. I have given up a great deal to care for my grand daughter.

I accept when people say that blood is thicker than water, but the fact is that when you are 58 years old you are not planning to look after a 10 year old child.”

“I put myself out and expected the local authority to do the same but they did not. When I heard that I had won in the High Court, I burst into tears. It meant so much both to me and my grand daughter. Teenagers are very expensive to bring up – every parent knows that.

I’m a pensioner. Kent were paying the same money as  when she first came to live with me. Prices have not stood still in the last 6 years but Kent’s payments did.

I was very sad that when I heard Kent wanted to challenge this decision – it showed they have no understanding of the financial impact of caring for a challenging teenager has on a pensioner like me.

The decision of the Court of Appeal is wonderful news.”

BACKGROUND

The Court of Appeal recognised that “the issue at the heart of the appeal was money”.

According to statistics produced by the Department of Education, in March 2010, 64,400 children were being looked after by Local Authorities in England.  38,200 were subject to interim or full care orders and 21,200 were in voluntary placements under Section 20 of the Children Act. These are the unsung heroes, the Family and Friends carers who have stepped in to care.

The decision of the Court of Appeal offers hope to the many Kinship Carers who, at the present time, are not being properly supported by Local Authorities that have placed the children with them.

Mr Priestley, who specialises in fighting cases for foster carers who look after relatives, said that

“Unfortunately the grandmother’s situation is not unusual in England and Wales.  Because of a shortage of foster carers, “kinship” carers are increasingly being used. However, local authorities are not supporting them appropriately.

“ The Grandparents Association has welcomed the judgement.  Lynn Chesterman, the Chief Executive of the Association, said:

“Too often, as in this case, grandparents are struggling to cope financially – living on a pension and bringing up children. They simply do not have enough money to live on. I hope that Kent has learnt its lesson – and that other Councils start taking their responsibilities seriously.

For further information, please contact Nigel Priestley at Ridley & Hall Solicitors Tel: 01484 538421 or visit www.ridleyandhall.co.uk

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Yorkshire solicitor wins support for Kent kinship carer

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Ridley & Hall Solicitors Huddersfield Kinship CareA   Sittingbourne carer who took on the London Borough of Camden is celebrating the payment of a five figure back-payment claim.  The woman is the Aunt of the child.  She was asked by Camden to care for her niece in July 2008.  Threatened with the prospect of the child going to live in foster care, the Aunt agreed.  A Social Worker from Camden brought the child to her Aunt’s.

Commenting, Nigel Priestley, Senior Partner of Ridley & Hall, Solicitors, Huddersfield who specialises in supporting kinship carers said:-

“What happened was disgraceful.  Camden had been involved in the child’s family for many years.  Social Workers found the child in a terrible situation in her mother’s care.  She had witnessed repeated domestic violence and needed to be cared for in a safe place.  But the Aunt needed financial support. She wasn’t expecting to have to suddenly care for a 6-year old child – she didn’t have the money to do so”.

He went on: “Camden brought the child – and then just walked away.  The Council had a legal responsibility to treat her and pay her as a foster carer.  Instead, Camden tried to pass the buck to Kent County Council”.

The Aunt, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “For over two years, Kent and Camden played pass the parcel as to which Local Authority should be supporting my niece and me.  I love my niece but I simply couldn’t get the support I needed.  Kent said Camden should pay.  Camden knew I was in financial difficulties but did nothing.  They said it was some sort of “private arrangement”.  I was saving Camden thousands of pounds – and it was never a private arrangement.  They contacted me.

It was only after fighting for two years and getting nowhere that I heard of Nigel Priestley and the team at Ridley & Hall”.

Mr Priestley explained “Camden were threatened that if they did not accept their financial responsibility to the child, they would be taken to court.  Faced with that threat, they backed down”.

The aunt concluded “I’m delighted to be paid as a foster carer and to get over £10,000 back pay.  I feel like my prayers have been answered. My niece had a very difficult start in life.  It’s not easy suddenly to take responsibility for a child whose behaviour can sometimes be quite challenging. It has been a life changing experience and we still have to take one day at a time. But It would have been increasingly difficult without financial support.

I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t had the support of Mr Priestley.  In the end, it has taken almost three years to sort out. I now get paid £180 per week – but for two years, Camden expected my niece and me to live on fresh air”.

Ridley & Hall are one of Yorkshire’s leading firms of disability and community care lawyers.  The firm has Franchises in Community Care, Welfare Benefits and Debt Advice.  They have commenced a number of Judicial Reviews involving local Councils across the country and are at the forefront of the battle to ensure that friend and relatives are paid the sums that are due to them.

For further information, please contact Ridley & Hall Solicitors on 01484 538421 or visit www.ridleyandhall.co.uk

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Huddersfield solicitor wins landmark ruling for Children’s Guardians

Monday, July 4th, 2011

Ridley & Hall Solicitors HuddersfieldLandmark judgement re-asserts the independence of Children’s Guardians as a vital element in protecting children.

In a landmark judgment today in the High Court Sir Nicholas Wall, President of the Family Division, today emphatically underlined the independent status of the Children’s Guardian.

In ringing and powerful words Sir Nicholas stated:  “I yield to no-one in my view that the guardian’s independence needs to be cherished.”

In a ruling that supported the arguments put forward by Nagalro, the professional association for children’s guardians, he told Cafcass that it cannot remove Guardians from cases before the court.   Neither must it substitute its own organisational view for the court-appointed guardian’s view of what will be in the best interest of the child.

The  Background

Nigel Priestley Senior Partner at Ridley and Hall Solicitors Huddersfield who represented Nagalro explained the background.

“A Children’s Guardian had successfully opposed the local authority plan in court for an 18 month old child.

She had supported the placement of a child back with his parents whilst their capacity to care for him was assessed. The Local Authority had wanted the child separated from his parents and put in foster care.

The court acted on the recommendation of the Children’s Guardian.  In a bizarre turn of events a Senior CAFCASS manager received an anonymous email calling on him to look into the guardian’s recommendation.

The issue that arose in the case was the fact that the local authority and Cafcass managers communicated between themselves to covertly engineer the removal of the Children’s Guardian”

He went on: “Nagalro successfully applied to intervene in the case. It argued that Cafcass guidance to its staff was unlawful as it allowed managers to change a guardian’s recommendations where there was disagreement between them.

Children’s Guardians, many of whom are Nagalro members have been put in positions of professional conflict. They risk being in breach of either their organisational duty to Cafcass as their employer or their statutory duty to the court as set out in s41 Children Act 1989.

Sir Nicholas set out what would happen in the event of a disagreement between the manager and the guardian. The President did not support Cafcass’s assertion that the managers view would prevail. The proper and transparent course is for the Cafcass manager to go to court and explain why they have taken a contrary view. It will then be for the court to decide on the basis of all the evidence before it.

He re-iterated how important it is for children that guardians can exercise independent judgment when working with solicitors in the ‘tandem model’ and that this “remains the child’s best protection against poor social work practice”.

Comments on the decision

Commenting on the President’s decision Nigel Priestley said:

“After Baby P there are still large numbers of Care Proceedings being started. Some say there should be even more. It is vital that a Guardian can stand back and question the Local Authority’s plans. There is nothing worse for parents to feel that the Local Authority and the Guardian are hand in glove. This is a landmark decision.

Children’s Guardians should be able to make a tough decision without having to look over their shoulders to see what management might think of their decision. Guardians are under enormous pressure at present. This is decision means that there is one less pressure on them now.

Sir Nicholas called it “shocking” that the parents were kept in ignorance of the discussions. He was particularly critical of the lack of transparency and fairness in the case. He was right to be so critical. Too often parents feel that the case is cut and dried and that they are powerless. This is a clear reminder that there must be openness in all dealings between social services and both the Guardian and Cafcass.”

Mr Priestley paid tribute to counsel, Martha Cover and Deirdre Fottrell who at very short notice assembled the powerful arguments that were so influential in the case.

Ann Haigh, Chair of Nagalro, said today:

“We welcome this judgment and its clear statement of the boundaries between organisational and professional accountability. It is much needed and we are delighted that it fully supports our view that personal responsibility and the professional judgment of skilled and independent practitioners offers the best protection for children.”

“We expect Cafcass to review its organisational policies to take account of this judgement and to ensure that all managers and practitioners fully understand the importance of the professional independence of the Children’s Guardian role and their proper relationship with the court.”

Sir Nicholas’s judgment makes it clear that although Cafcass as an organisation has a role in quality assuring the work that guardians undertake, this must be balanced against the guardian’s independence.

For further information contact Ridley & Hall Solicitors on 01484 538421 or visit www.ridleyandhall.co.uk

Notes:

  1. NAGALRO is the Professional Association for Children’s Guardians, Family Court Advisers and Independent social work practitioners.  The association aims to promote and enhance the quality of practice of those concerned with the independent representation of children’s interests before the courts, throughout England and Wales.
  2. Children’s guardians are appointed in public law proceedings in the family courts i.e. where Local Authority Children’s Services take court action to protect children whom they believe are suffering significant harm within their families, – physical, sexual or emotional abuse. The role developed to give children a voice after the tragedy of Maria Colwell, a seven year old girl whose voice was not heard when the court returned her to mother and step father who murdered her. They are also appointed in adoption proceedings, emergency protection order, and secure accommodation applications.  Family Court Advisers also act in private law cases, reporting to the court on children’s welfare in relation to contact and residence issues. A Guardian can also be appointed for a child in private law proceedings under Rule 9.5 where their welfare requires independent representation.
  3. The NAGALRO website can be found at: www.nagalro.com

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So what’s wrong with Yorkshire culture?

Monday, July 4th, 2011

Ridley & Hall Solicitors HuddersfieldA Kirklees Aunt has won a 9 month battle to have her niece and nephew placed with her.  In August 2010, Hampshire Social Services decided not to place the children with her.  The reason given was that the Social Worker didn’t think they could cope with “a different culture”. Where was this different culture?  Yorkshire!

The relative, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was stunned when told the reason that her nephew and niece could not come and live with her.

She commented:- “The children had been in foster care for several months.  Their parents were fighting for their return.  They needed to be with their family at such a difficult time for them.

I put myself forward as a carer.  I work.  I have a loving family close by.  I thought that, together, we could show them what real family life was like.  They had had a tough time at home.

The Court ordered an expert Independent Social Worker  to prepare an assessment of my ability to parent the children and she had no hesitation in supporting my application. To add insult to injury Hampshire ignored this assessment even though their own Social Worker decided that I could ‘provide a good level of care’.

Despite this, the Social Worker decided that the children “had grown up within the southern region and couldn’t adapt to the change in area and culture”.  Speaking with a Southern accent would cause “difficulties and isolation””.

Nigel Priestley, Senior Partner with Ridley & Hall , Solicitors in Huddersfield, a firm that specialises in supporting family and friends carers said:-

“Choosing to put children into foster care because of the “Yorkshire culture” is one of the most bizarre Social Services’ decisions I have come across.

This case is an extreme example of the challenges that many kinship carers face.  All sorts of obstacles can be put in their way by Social Services.  Thankfully, my client had a very sensible Judge and the support of an excellent legal team.

The wasted months in foster care, however, made the settling in period much harder”.

He went on “The decision has come at a short term cost. Hampshire has immediately stopped paying the Fostering Allowances for the children before any arrangements have been made with Kirklees to start their payments. This week as agreed at court a payment was due from Hampshire – but the County Council have already wiped the children from their books.”

Commenting the aunt said “I cannot believe their callousness. What do they think I am to live on until new arrangements are made? I was shocked that Hampshire are suggesting that because they have paid the allowance for the children’s holidays they consider I’ve been overpaid. They can think again.”

For further information, contact Ridley & Hall Solicitors on 01484 538421 or visit www.ridleyandhall.co.uk

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National recognition for Legal Aid Lawyer

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

Ridley & Hall Solicitors HuddersfieldMichael George, one of the partners at Huddersfield Solicitors Ridley and Hall was named as one of the top 3 Family Legal Aid lawyers in the country in the prestigious Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2011.

The winners in the nine award categories were to be announced by Cherie Booth QC at a ceremony in London on 28 June. When she was held up by a flight delay, Doreen Lawrence stepped in.

Doreen Lawrence OBE is the prominent British human rights campaigner dedicated to securing justice for the victims of racially motivated crime and police misconduct. She first came to public attention in 1993 as the mother of Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager who was murdered in a suspected racial attack in south-east London.

Hundreds of lawyers and celebrities were present at The Globe Theatre in London.

The judges highlighted the fact that “Michael is praised for his ability to develop a rapport with his young, often distressed, clients. One client writes: ‘Despite my background which, to be frank, is quite colourful, he has always made me feel important.’

National recognition for Michael George at Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards 2011

Michael George formerly had his own long-running family law practice in Dewsbury for almost 14 years, prior to that he was a partner at Whitfield Hallam Goodall in Batley.  His firm merged with Ridley & Hall LLP on 1st October 2010.

He has previously practised in many aspects of law, including criminal, employment and family but in more recent years has focused on specialist child care law, acting for children, parents, grandparents and extended family in complex care proceedings.

Nigel Priestley Senior Partner at Ridley and Hall said “When Michael merged his own firm with Ridley and Hall, Huddersfield’s vulnerable children and parents were given a real boost. He has practised as a Solicitor in the Kirklees area for over 25 years. He is a longstanding member of the Children Panel. To be short listed for this major national award is a real feather in the cap for him. It’s long overdue!”

Nominations attracted support from clients, charities, judges, social workers, psychiatrists, journalists and broadcasters, among others.

The latest recognition for Ridley & Hall Solicitors continues a series of high profile national awards for the Huddersfield law firm. Senior Partner Nigel Priestley was awarded the Law Society Private Practice National Lawyer of the Year 2010 and Managing Partner Sarah Young won the Association of Women Solicitors (AWS) Award for Managing a Small Practice in September 2009.

For further information please visit www.ridleyandhall.co.uk or call 01484 538421

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Motorcycling lawyer motors into growing firm

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Ridley & Hall Solicitors HuddersfieldLocal Solicitor Kevin Ludgate, a former British motorcycling champion, has joined Ridley & Hall.

Commenting Mr Ludgate said “I have always practiced as a solicitor in Huddersfield, working for other firms before forming Ludgates in 2000. This later became Ludgate Morrell and has been a firm favourite of local residents for their house moves for over a decade.

For more than 20 years I have specialised in providing plain speaking face to face legal advice in conveyancing and wills & probate.

I am delighted to be joining Ridley & Hall as a partner. They have a long established reputation in conveyancing and they really understand the needs of local people. Buying a house is one of the biggest decisions a family can make and I want to make sure that whether the family is buying or selling they are getting the best advice.

I am very pleased that I will continue to be assisted by Liz Wallis, a Licensed Conveyancer.  Together we have acted in an impressive 5,000 plus house moves during the last decade alone.  “

As to his past life in motorcycling, he said “Now that I am married with two children and approaching half a century, my passion for motorcycles is restricted to fair weather days when the temperature is above 20 degrees!”

Solicitor Kevin Ludgate former British Motorcycling Champion joins Ridley & Hall Solicitors Huddersfield

Sarah Young, Managing Partner said “I am delighted to welcome Kevin as a partner.  He has an excellent reputation in Huddersfield, gaining all of his work by recommendation.  I believe that by strengthening our property team we can offer an even better all round service to our clients.  Although we act for clients all around the country our heart will always be in Huddersfield.

We may be the firm in Huddersfield and West Yorkshire for bikers -Kevin is joining another motorcycling solicitor at Ridley & Hall. Michael George, whose firm merged with Ridley & Hall last year, has his own “big bike” and is a real enthusiast!”

At the same time, Ridley and Hall have promoted solicitor Julie Devenport who specialises in commercial property law, to Associate Solicitor in recognition of her experience and ability. She said “It’s been tough for business owners in recent years – I aim to offer practical, personal advice to my clients to help them weather the problems they face.”

Ridley & Hall has become a local firm with a national presence having succeeded in winning a number of ground breaking cases nationally in recent years in community care, judicial review and kinship care law.  The firm has won Yorkshire Lawyer specialist law firm of the year awards in 2006 and 2008 as well as many other awards and commendations.

For further information, please visit www.ridleyandhall.co.uk

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Yorkshire Lawyer invited to Children in Wales Kinship Care Conference

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Kinship Care advice Ridley & Hall Solicitors HuddersfieldNigel Priestley, Senior Partner with Ridley and Hall Huddersfield has been invited to speak at a major conference organised by Children in Wales.

The Children in Wales Grandparents & Kinship Care Conference will take place in Cardiff on 31st March 2011.

Commenting Mr Priestley said “It is a privilege to be asked to address this major conference in Wales. It is a feather in the cap both for Huddersfield and Yorkshire Solicitors.

“The aim of the conference is to bring together leading policy makers and professionals in the field to review policy and practice around kinship care and to highlight legal, financial, practical and emotional issues associated with it. Good practice examples from across Wales and the UK will be examined. The conference will also give delegates the opportunity to consider their own policy and practice alongside sharing experiences and best practice. The conference will also help put a spotlight on the important, but often ignored role grandparents play in Wales in supporting sometimes very vulnerable children.”

Richard Jones the Administrator of Children in Wales said:

“During the day, delegates will have the opportunity to:

• Learn about what works in kinship care and contact issues, based on evidence from research and practice

• Understand the social, emotional, financial and physical impact of kinship care on grandparents and the needs of their grandchildren

• Hear about the legal and financial implications of kinship care for Local Authorities and for grandparents themselves

• Gain practical ideas and examples for supporting grandparents who provide kinship care to better support their grandchildren

• Gain an understanding of the role of Family Group Conferencing

Who will be attending?

Children’s Services (statutory and voluntary sectors); Managers in Children’s Services; Social workers, including frontline staff; family workers; Policy makers, Commissioning managers; Fostering providers and those providing support to kinship carers and their families.”

Nigel Priestley will be sharing the platform with a distinguished team:

Speakers:

Professor Bob Broad is Visiting Professor at London South Bank University and Visiting Professor at De Montfort University, Leicester where he was previously Director of its’ Children and Families Research Centre. He was also Director of the Research and Evaluation Department at the National Children’s Bureau, London, was a Lecturer on the MSc Social Work Studies course at London School of Economics and Political Science, and before that a senior probation officer and teacher in London.

Over the last twenty years he has undertaken and published research about kinship care, young people leaving care, foster care, and grandparenting. His recent journal article about kinship care, entitled ‘Kinship care: What works, Who cares? appears in Social Work & Social Sciences Review 13, 1, 59-74. The research report “Grandparents Voices” about grandparents who are either kinship carers, or who are denied contact with their grandchildren or who provide significant weekly childcare was published by the Grandparents’ Association in 2009.

Ruth Marks took up her post as the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales on 21st April 2008. She is independent of government and her role is to champion, promote, safeguard and protect older people in Wales. Ruth has legal powers to investigate many public bodies in Wales, offering a scrutiny and challenge function. Ruth’s previous appointments include Director of RNIB Cymru, 2005-2008 and Chief Executive of Chwarae Teg, the leading Welsh women’s economic development agency, 1999-2005.

Ruth holds a number of voluntary appointments and was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2007 for services to welfare to work.

Lynn Chesterman has been Chief Executive of The Grandparents’ Association since 1999. Lynn started her career with Hackney Social Services moving on to manage the support team for social services in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. She moved into the voluntary sector, and spent 10 years as the CEO of a countywide charity for older people. She currently represents the interests of grandparents and grandchildren on a number of working parties and committees, and is a member of the Kinship Care Alliance and founder and chair of the Alliance on Family Contact. She has given evidence to both the Labour and Conservative parties helping them to inform their policies on children and families.

Carol Salmon, Head of Social Services for Children, Flintshire will talk about kinship care in Flintshire and about Family Group Conferencing.

Children in Wales is the national umbrella children’s organisation in Wales, bringing organisations and individuals together to:

  • Make the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child a reality in Wales
  • Fight for sustainable quality services and fair shares for all children and young people
  • Ensure special attention and treatment for children in need
  • Give children and young people a voice

Children in Wales Grandparents & Kinship Care Conference Cardiff 31 March 2011 Click here or the logo to view further information about the event on the Children in Wales website or alternatively contact Nigel Priestley at Ridley & Hall Solicitors on 01484 538421 or www.ridleyandhall.co.uk

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Nigel Priestley wins Solicitor of the Year Award

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

Nigel Priestley, senior Partner of Ridley & Hall Solicitors achieved national recognition as Solicitor of the Year in Private Practice  at the Law Society Excellence Awards 2010.

Nigel Priestley, Solicitor of the Year, Law Society Excellence Awards 2010

The Law Society Gazette reported:

“Many outstanding solicitors were honoured at last night’s Law Society Excellence Awards, attended by almost 600 guests and presented by BBC broadcaster Mishal Husain. The private practice Solicitor of the Year award went to Nigel Priestley, child care solicitor and senior partner at Ridley & Hall in Huddersfield, who used his acceptance speech to speak out against legal aid cuts and praise the success of Huddersfield Law Society’s twinning project with Uganda.”
(See www.lawgazette.co.uk )

And the Law Society:

“The judges thought Nigel Priestley is exactly the type of solicitor who the profession should be commending – he is one who demonstrates through his work a passion for correcting the injustices of society and he has recently won two landmark cases which have national implications. He is also responsible for setting up the twinning link when he was president of Huddersfield Law Society with the Uganda Law society. He is an exemplar to all in the legal sector.” (See http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/)

For further information, visit www.ridleyandhall.co.uk

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