New for 2024, LLG’s Children's Services and Education Conference will provide a full day’s training on the latest developments in some of the key areas relevant to local authority lawyers and officers working in this challenging area.
The Conference will begin with a session on Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children with Azeem Suterwalla from Monckton Chambers and Marion Robinson from Weightmans, including the significance of the judgment in ECPAT UK v Kent County Council, placement and planning, and age assessments. We will then have a session on SEN Tribunals and EHCPs with John Roberts and Lois Williams from Weightmans, before we hear from Susan Anderson from London Borough of Southwark on tackling delay in care proceedings.
The afternoon will include a session on DOLS and 16 & 17 year-olds and the Court of Protection/inherent jurisdiction of the High Court with Arianna Kelly from 39 Essex Chambers, as well as an exploration of issues relating to children in secure accommodation with Amrita Hurst and Robyn Griffiths from Bevan Brittan.
All sessions will provide attendees with the opportunity to ask questions and share their thoughts and experience. Whilst the event will be held across one day, all sessions will be recorded and made available to download, providing the opportunity either to engage for the whole day or to attend selected sessions on the day and then catch up in your own time.
Barrister, Monckton Chambers
Azeem is a leading junior with a well-established practice across Chambers’ core areas, offering expertise in Judicial Review, Public Procurement, Competition, Information Law, and general commercial work. He is a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown, advising and representing the UK government in his areas of practice. Azeem is recommended in the Legal 500 and Chambers UK as a leading practitioner across four practice areas: Administrative/Public Law, Public Procurement, Civil Liberties and Human Rights, and Community Care. He was previously Counsel to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (“IICSA” – between January 2016 and 2020).
Azeem appears regularly in the High Court and Upper Tribunal. He has undertaken cases in the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights. In addition to acting as a trial and appellate lawyer, a significant part of Azeem’s practice is advisory. He is often instructed in his own right, or to lead as a “senior junior”, but he is equally happy to, and often works, as a member of a large team of counsel and solicitors.
Partner, Weightmans
Marion has over 20 years’ experience specialising in children’s services. She has a huge amount of experience working in-house for Local Authority Legal Teams and specialises in all aspects of Public Law, with an emphasis on childcare.
Marion regularly acts for Local Authorities in matters relating to Child Protection, Children with Disabilities, Deprivation of Liberty cases, Judicial Review, Serious Case Reviews, LADO procedures, independent advice to IROs, and the provision of advice relating to Age Assessments of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC).
She has advocacy experience in the Magistrates’, Family Court (County), and the High Court, and also works pro-bono on the Local Government Children & Adults Out of Hours Emergency Advice Line.
Principal Associate, Weightmans
John is a Principal Associate based the Cardiff office. He has defended insurers, local authorities and educational institutions against claims and appeals for nearly 20 years.
A particular area of focus for his practice is educational matters. John represents education authorities and institutions against appeals brought in the educational tribunal systems in Wales and England, related to a child or young person’s additional learning needs and special educational needs.
John has a wide range of experience in responding to appeals made under S.9 of the Education Act (Independent School funding) and the content of a child or young person’s EHCP/Individual Development Plan. He has conducted cases in the Upper Tribunal as well as the First Tier Tribunals. He has also provided substantial training to schools, educational authorities, FEIs and Universities, notably on the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 (ALNET) and the Equality Act, as well as student complaints. He has also trained NHS Bodies on their obligations under ALNET.
John has successfully acted in a large number of claims arising out of highways accidents (motor and ‘trippers’), public liability, employer liability, failure to educate and official indemnity. He has secured several findings of ‘fundamental dishonesty’.
John sits as a Deputy District Judge on the Wales Circuit.
Associate, Weightmans
Lois is an Associate Solicitor in the Regulatory Social Care and Governance Team in the Liverpool Office. She regularly acts for Local Authorities in matters relating to child protection, adult social care and special education. She has a particular interest and focus on Children Act proceedings with cross border disputes and non-accidental injury.
Lois has previously worked in private practice legal aid firms representing parents and children in all aspects of private and public family law. She has represented both Local Authority clients and lay clients in the Magistrates' Court and Family Court, and also undertakes out of hours emergency work for Local Authorities children’s services teams as part of the firm's out of hours service.
In-House Advocate, London Borough of Southwark
Susan is an in-house barrister at Southwark Council specialising in public law children and safeguarding; she also advises on other issues relating to children and young people, including deprivation of liberty and adoption. She regularly provides in-house training to social workers and lawyers.
Susan was called to the Bar in 2004 and spent 10 years in Chambers at 1KBW undertaking all aspects of family law.
Susan has volunteered at ChildLine and trained as a Place2Be counsellor, working in a primary school. She went on to train at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, studying Systemic Approaches to Working with Individuals, Families and Organisations. Her training placement was based within a North London CAMHS team, offering therapeutic input to children, families and professionals.
Susan returned to law in 2019 with a renewed focus on the impact of care proceedings on children and families, and the value of exploring alternative ways to safely manage risk. Susan undertakes advocacy at all levels of court and is predominantly involved in cases at the Central Family Court in London.
Barrister, 39 Essex Chambers
Arianna has a public law practice with a focus in community care, mental capacity, serious medical treatment, mental health law and inquests. She is a leading junior in the Court of Protection, community care and administrative and public law.
Arianna acts in a range Court of Protection matters including welfare, property and affairs, serious medical treatment. Since 2022, she has been a contributing author to ‘Court of Protection Practice’(Lexis Nexis), the leading practitioner text for the Court of Protection, and has been a contributing editor to the 39 Essex Chambers Mental Capacity Reports since 2021. She is a member of the National Committee for the Court of Protection Practitioners Association. Arianna also regularly acts and advises in matters relating to the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court for both children and adults, and acts matters relating to deprivations of liberty of young people.
Arianna works extensively in the field of community care, frequently advising public authorities on policies relating to health and social care. She frequently undertakes judicial reviews in relation to eligibility and care planning decisions, community care charging, safeguarding investigations and decisions to de-register approved providers.
Arianna is on both the Attorney General’s Regional Panel and the Equality and Human Rights Commission Panel of counsel. She is a Recorder, a fee-paid First-Tier Tribunal judge, (Mental Health) and fee-paid Court of Protection judge.
Partner, Bevan Brittan
Amrita has a wealth of experience with children and young people in a variety of sectors and areas. She has led in-house social care legal teams in local authorities prior to joining Bevan Brittan. Her extensive experience has been garnered in an increasingly broad spectrum of areas, including public and private childcare matters, judicial review claims, s17/20 Children Act matters and Court of Protection / inherent jurisdiction matters.
She has trained numerous professionals on a variety of areas, including local authority duties of care and statutory duties in relation to children and young people. Amrita spent two years seconded to the IICSA statutory inquiry and in addition has a regulatory practice in matters concerning children primarily Ofsted, CQC and Ofqual registration, compliance and enforcement. Amrita provides SEN advice to local authorities particularly around SEN transport and the provision of education other than in school.
Amrita is also adept at using her extensive knowledge of children’s law to ensure that clients are properly represented in a wider field of matters concerning children. She was recently instructed as representative for one of the maintained schools in the high profile Brianna Ghey inquest and her knowledge and experience was invaluable in ensuring a positive outcome for the client.
Senior Solicitor, Bevan Brittan
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09:30 - 16:00
Online
