Pink Tape

a blog from the family bar

Guest Post: Social media – our master or our servant?

This is a guest post written by Sarah Phillimore (@svphillimore), a barrister at St John’s Chambers. It arises from a discussion Sarah, myself and other colleagues had last weekend about the difficulty in obtaining s26 contact orders in placement proceedings and the spate of media reports of teenagers tracked down on Facebook by their biological [...]

Managing Adoption Services to Achieve Financial Savings

OMFG. Yes, that is a legal-technical term. When I read the following extracts from Martin Narey’s review of adoption services in Kent, sent to me by a legal friend who often suggests material for the blog, OMFG seemed to be an apposite response: “Adoption should never be pursued simply because it saves money. But there [...]

What She Said – Adopting Words on Adoption

David Cameron has stepped into the adoption debate this week, distracting us all from the economic catastrophe with a message of hope for all those children “put up” for adoption who are “languishing” in care as a result of court delay (caused by lawyers, natch and probably ones with a human rights obsession too) and political [...]

Narey Report Part II – Blueprint or Fairy Story?

Once upon a time a long long time ago I wrote a blog post about a report written by Mr Narey. Mr Narey was a naughty man who wanted to take lots of babies away from their mummies. I wrote a story telling all the people about why Mr Narey’s naughty report said lots of [...]

Success is all in my mind

Bit busy at the moment. But here’s a few things to keep you occupied: Slightly belated news that the Justice Select Committee has published it’s report on the Operation of the Family Courts. Scroll down to paragraph 239 and you will find a quote from Lucy Reed, author of Family Courts without a Lawyer – [...]

The Narey Report: A Blueprint for the nation’s lost children?

The Narey Report was published early last week (5 July). You may not have read it because, unusually for a report which purports to be signally important in the development of government policy on matters of such public interest and importance as the permanent severing of the child : parent relationship, it is behind a [...]

Adoption Tzar

Although not formally confirmed yet on the Department of Education website it is reported in Community Care that “Former Barnardo’s chief Martin Narey will be tasked with encouraging “sceptical” social workers to see adoption as an option for more children in care in his role as the government’s first adoption tsar.” I’m all for permanence [...]

Adoption And Social Networking

Really interesting piece on Radio 4′s All In the Mind this afternoon on adoption, covering the disruptive impact on small babies of being taken to and from contact with birth parents whilst care proceedings are pending, and the sometimes catastrophic impact of unplanned contact between adopted teenagers and birth parents via facebook or the internet. [...]

Lilo & Stitch

I have just taken time out in between briefs to watch Lilo & Stitch whilst feeding the boy his tea. I confess that I had one eye on the tv and one on the tuna sandwiches that were being liberally smeared all over the high chair and his face, and that were threatening to come [...]

‘Don’t you lot EVER think about the kids?’

No, you are absolutely right. We have spent years acquiring expertise, passed up the opportunity to earn three times as much money in any other area of law you care to choose, regularly work into the night reading graphic details about head injuries and abuse and neglect, and spend 50% of our time telling our [...]

keep looking »

  • About

    A blog in which I ricochet from too serious to too flippant, and alternate between a bit clever, a bit interesting and a bit ranty: Pink Tape neatly functions as both a blog about family law and a therapeutic escape valve for me. >>more




  • Advertisements

    Help Bailii Raise Funds

    5% of all advertising revenue from this blog will be donated via gift aid to BAILII. They desperately need funds, and blogs like this need BAILII, so please click on the logo above to make a donation to them yourself if you are able.



  • Other Ads

    Find solicitors and lawyers at Solicitors.com

    Darbys Medical Negligence Solicitors provide specialist legal advice & support in fatal accident claims.

    Hurt in an accident which wasn't your fault? Injury Claims can help you with no win no fee accident claims today.

    Medical Negligence solicitors in Manchester and London

    Looking for family solicitors? Get in touch with us for the best family law advice.

    Stephens Scown
    Family Solicitors Exeter

  • Latest Family Decisions from BAILII

    High Court and County Court

  • Other bits