A couple who complained about their child being taken from them and handed to adopters even though a cruelty prosecution had been abandoned were not the victims of a miscarriage of justice, a leading judge has concluded after a review.Karrissa Cox and former soldier Richard Carter, who are in their…

Council social services bosses have apologised after a High Court judge criticised their handling of two cases involving children.Mr Justice Keehan complained of "incompetence and serial failings" by staff at Herefordshire Council in the handling of a case involving twins.Lawyers representing each twin had alleged breaches of the human right…

A social worker appointed to represent the interests of two children at the centre of complex family court litigation has come under fire from a senior judge.Kailash Chudasama had acted as the children's "guardian" and been appointed by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) - whose…

A woman who three years ago left her home in Wales when four months pregnant and travelled to Ireland after social workers raised safety concerns has had her son taken from her care.Staff at the Child and Family Agency in Ireland had also become concerned about the boy's safety after…

A jailed sex offender was given the chance to play a part in the future of the child of a woman he raped, it has been reported.The man, who was reportedly part of a grooming gang, was contacted in jail by a council who gave him a chance to seek…

After climate change, there is nothing more serious than poverty and there is clear evidence that it leads to higher levels of child abuse and neglect, said the University of Huddersfield’s Professor Brid Featherstone, speaking to a large gathering of social workers. She is Professor of Social Work at the…

Doctors, nurses and teachers could face criminal charges for failing to report forced marriage cases under plans being considered by the Government.Ministers are weighing up the possibility of introducing a mandatory reporting duty to boost efforts to tackle the "hidden crime".A Home Office consultation paper published on Thursday seeks views…

The parents of a dying baby suffered a "horrifically stressful" experience after social services failings deprived them of time with their child, an ombudsman has said.City of York Council social workers were accused of failing to properly review the case of the baby boy, whose parents were placed under strict…

Council social services bosses have come under fire from a family court judge after a little boy was placed with foster carers when grandparents who might have offered a home were unaware of his existence.Judge Mary Lazarus has complained about a "wide-ranging composite set of failings" by staff at Kent…

Social Work now has a new champion, albeit in the unlikely guise of the new industry regulator. As part of the 2017 Children’s and Social Work Act, the Government introduced a new regulatory body in the form of Social Work England (SWE). The new body has powers to implement change…

A social worker bought a homeless 17-year-old boy a tent to live in, a watchdog has found. Cornwall Council even provided the "vulnerable" teenager with a replacement tent after the first one started leaking. After approaching the council for help, the boy lived in the tent for five weeks, then…

The Northern Ireland Social Care Council in partnership with Ulster University, Queen’s University Belfast and the Departments of Health and Education, developed a series of Understanding Child Development Apps. Social work is increasingly a mobile profession and the new Apps provide a response to the demands and pressures of this…