Children

Articles

All the care in the world

Malcolm Johnson considers whether child abuse claims involving foster carers will leave local authorities open to vicarious liability

Report reveals "dissatisfaction and disquiet" with Public Law Outline

A report for the Ministry of Justice found “dissatisfaction and disquiet” with the operation of the Public Law Outline (PLO) together with “serious concerns” relating to the welfare of children at the pre-action stage.

Regime change

Adam Herbert explains how the Finance Act 2008 will affect offshore trustees and their advisers, highlighting key issues and exploring some practical solutions

Pick and choose

The level of damages awarded in spinal injury claims is high and is increasing rapidly, but these figures can only be achieved by selecting the right experts. Paul Paxton considers professionals who could improve the chance of a successful outcome

Safety first

Disciplinary action against experts in child abuse cases has caused concern, but if professionals are objective, act in the best interests of the child and remain aware of the dangers, they will not be held accountable for mistakes, say Malcolm Johnson and Penny Cooper

Beyond the call of duty

The new duty for trustees of charities to consider the impact of their decisions on the environment may be difficult to enforce, but it could help to justify spending funds on environmental activities, save money, boost the organisation's reputation, and generally drive through behavioural change, says Donald Taylor

Update: commercial

Sara Partington discusses the government's change of mind over bailiffs' enforcement powers, unfair bank charges, the duty of care of directors, the ongoing saga of 'service by Facebook', and the payment of sums due under an agreement, together with agreed contractual interest rates

Update: local government

Justin Bates revisits two cases concerning the Boundary Committee's actions when it advised on the move towards unitary authorities, and discusses a case clarifying the duty to provide accommodation to children under the Children Act