professionals | Local Authority Lawyer in Adult Social Care

An urgent move during Court of Protection proceedings: a how (not) to guide

It is inevitable that sometimes in Court of Protection proceedings, there will be times when a move needs to take place urgently. There are any number of reasons why this might happen: arrangements in the community breakdown, safeguarding issues happen, risks increase and sometimes, a really good placement comes up which will be lost toContinue reading “An urgent move during Court of Protection proceedings: a how (not) to guide”

Why the courts are still talking about coronavirus vaccination

I want to talk about the case of North Yorkshire CCG v E and others, which was heard only recently and explored whether or not it was in E’s best interests to be vaccinated against coronavirus. At first glance, it seems that this is a settled issue. Certainly, there is now a consistent stream ofContinue reading “Why the courts are still talking about coronavirus vaccination”

Capacity, care and alcohol consumption

I’ve come across a few cases recently where a key issue has been P’s alcohol consumption and their behaviour when drunk. It’s a tricky area that we have had some difficulty navigating, so it seemed like a worthwhile topic to write about. The first example concerns A, a middle-aged man with an acquired brain injuryContinue reading “Capacity, care and alcohol consumption”

How the court decides best interests: when it comes down to it

I have broken down the stages of the process of reaching a best interests determination through the Court of Protection in a series of posts on this topic. If you’ve come across this post without reading the previous three posts, then you might want to start at the beginning and work your way through I’llContinue reading “How the court decides best interests: when it comes down to it”

How the court decides on best interests: is that really that important though?

This is the third post in my series about how the Court of Protection makes best interests decisions. In practice, it’s a messy process, but I have broken it down into stages to make it easier to understand. Or that’s my intention anyway. If I’m only confusing you further, I do apologise! So we startedContinue reading “How the court decides on best interests: is that really that important though?”

Round table meetings: what to expect

Today I am going to talk about round table meetings during Court of Protection proceedings. Or RTMs as they are commonly referred to. They are a very valuable part of the process, but when invitations go out, I do get people calling me up to ask about what the meeting is for, and what they’llContinue reading “Round table meetings: what to expect”

Bearing a burden that isn’t yours to carry

The purpose of this blog is primarily to provide insights into the legal concepts and processes at play within adult social care. I am aware that most of you are here for that information. But I also believe in looking at concepts in context, and some of that context is personal. Burn out, compassion fatigueContinue reading “Bearing a burden that isn’t yours to carry”

What it’s like to work as an in house local authority lawyer: what I didn’t like

This is not a bitter confessional from a disgruntled employee, but it is only fair to acknowledge some of the challenges of working in local authority as an adult social care lawyer. I don’t work there anymore, so if I couldn’t give some negatives, you’d just assume I was lying! I spoke in my earlierContinue reading “What it’s like to work as an in house local authority lawyer: what I didn’t like”

What its like to work as an in house local authority lawyer: what I loved

For many, New Year is a time for reflection and 2021 has certainly been an eventful year. As regular readers of this blog will know, 2021 is also the year I left local authority and took a private practice role. It’s been nearly 6 months since then and I am (probation period dependant) settling intoContinue reading “What its like to work as an in house local authority lawyer: what I loved”