Children Act

Our approachable, experienced and caring family barristers advise parents, guardians, interveners, local authorities and the Official Solicitor in public law disputes involving children.

Our barristers are also highly experienced in private law Children Act cases, providing written and oral advocacy and representation in all Courts including the family division of the High Court, the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.

Linenhall’s team work with individuals either through instructing solicitors or on a direct access basis and also provide advice and representation on behalf of local authorities, Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru as well as organisations acting as guardians in proceedings.

Our large and well-established team are preeminent in Children Act work across North and Mid Wales, Cheshire and the wider North West including Liverpool and Manchester as well as the Midlands.

Our expert family barristers combine their technical legal expertise with a deep understanding of the processes involved in Children Act cases and have extensive experience of handling complex cases. They utilise their working knowledge of acting for both applicants and respondents as well as public authorities in such cases as well as providing exemplary client care to achieve the best possible outcome for clients.

Our team understand the interplay between the various pieces of legislation governing Children Act cases including the Children Act 1989 and Social Services & Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and wider family law legislation. The team have specialist extensive experience of Welsh legislation governing Children Act cases in Wales. A number of the team are Welsh speakers and able to conduct cases in Welsh.

Barristers in our family team are members of the Family Law Barristers Association (FLBA), the specialist Bar Association for family barristers, and you can rely on our team to be completely up to date with the latest developments in family law and procedure so they can guide you through your case as efficiently and successfully as possible.

A number of barristers in our family team have undertaken the Vulnerable Witnesses Programme run by the FLBA and have a particular specialism in working with vulnerable individuals who require the assistance of an official solicitor and/or advocate. The head of Linenhall Chambers family team, Daniel Dodd, is one of the national facilitators for the Vulnerable Witnesses training programme.

Additionally, some members of the Linenhall family team are appointed as Deputy District Judges and are approved to hear public and private law children cases, reflecting the level of experience held within the team and adding greater depth to their work on behalf of clients.

The family barristers at Linenhall Chambers hold significant experience in relation to:

Public Law

Public law applications including care and supervision orders involving:
Complex sexual and physical abuse and non-accidental injuries
Death and complex injury
Neglect
Fabricated or induced illness
Mental Health issues
Addiction & Substance Misuse
Disputed expert evidence
Jurisdictional issues
Inherent jurisdiction applications under section 100 Children Act 1989
Deprivation of liberty & Secure Accommodation
Cases involving children giving oral evidence
Vulnerable adult witnesses and necessary safeguards and special measures when giving evidence
Education and Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Court of Protection and Mental Capacity Issues
Welsh legislation – including Social Services & Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014