“Can we stress in your piece that social services need to listen to the families. That’s what I want to get out of this. They need to listen and understand that we have their best interests at hear…| Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection
In defiance of a court order and to prevent Miranda being temporarily moved out of the family home for assessment purposes, Miranda’s mother took her to Jamaica in early February 2023.| Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection
That experience has helped me to understand, on a visceral level, how easily autonomy can be subsumed under the guise of safety, support, and risk management. I notice the gulf between how I descri…| Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection
var pd_tags = new Array;pd_tags["15928354-src"]="poll-oembed-simple"; Two-thirds of councils need to improve on the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), an analysis of Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessments have found. The finding from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) came as…| Community Care
By Celia Kitzinger, 29th August 2025 Earlier this month, Sandra and Joe Preston published an account of their experience in the Court of Protection and queried whether the case about their relative’s “deprivation of liberty” was a good use of judicial time, tax-payers’ money and in the public interest. You can read their blog postContinue reading "Making it possible for families to tell their Court of Protection stories: How we got the reporting restrictions changed (while P is stil...| Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection
By Daniel Clark, 27th August 2025 This case concerns a young man with a hypoxic brain injury arising from a cardiac arrest. He is a drug user and a victim of cuckooing, (which is when a person’s dwelling is taken over without their consent for the purposes of committing or commissioning a crime). The applicantContinue reading "Lieven J grapples with cuckooing and the effect of a DOL order"| Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection
By Claire Martin, 25th August 2025 Transparency and open justice are principles at the heart of our justice system. Last year, the Lady Chief Justice created a Transparency and Open Justice Board, chaired by Mr Justice Nicklin, who said that the Board will “set objectives for all Courts and Tribunals, focussing on timely and effectiveContinue reading "Timely and effective access to the court: Four case studies with judges struggling to deliver on transparency"| Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection
By Sandra Preston, 18 August 2025 On 13 August 2025 I went to First Avenue House (the London headquarters of the Court of Protection) for the first time as an observer – rather than as the relative of a Protected Party (as described my blog post here). I had chosen to do so to gainContinue reading "My first experience of being an in-person observer at First Avenue House (London): HHJ Beckley decides on where P should live and receive care"| Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection
By Amanda Hill, 11th August 2025 Working like clockwork. This implies each small part moves in precise harmony to keep the larger system functioning. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the state was like that? I’ve recently observed a hearing that reflected the exact opposite. Deputies, both lay (mostly family and friends) and professional, play aContinue reading "The problem with Motability Hire Agreements: A Deputy’s concerns in the COP"| Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection
Honestly, we can’t begin to predict now what will happen. The Liberty Protection Safeguards are on hold, in the longest of the long grass. Will they ever happen or is that it now? If not the Liberty Protection Safeguards, might something else energe? Or will others in the future build on the work done so […]| Social Work, Cats and Rocket Science