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England and Wales High Court (Family Division) Decisions |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales High Court (Family Division) Decisions >> Durham County Council v D & Ors [2008] EWHC 1306 (Fam) (11 June 2008) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2008/1306.html Cite as: [2008] EWHC 1306 (Fam) |
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FAMILY DIVISION
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE DISTRICT REGISTRY
(In Public)
The Law Courts Quayside Newcastle-Upon-Tyne NE1 2LA |
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B e f o r e :
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In the matter of the D children In the matter of the Children Act 1989 DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL |
Applicant |
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- and - |
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D and others |
Respondents |
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Crown Copyright ©
Mr Justice Munby :
"The ordinary experience of the family courts is of social workers and social services departments whose professional work is both valuable and appropriately targeted to meeting the particular needs of children and their families."
In Re B; X Council v B [2007] EWHC 1622 (Fam), [2008] 1 FLR 482, at para [23], I said I agreed with that view, which accorded entirely with my own experience in the family courts. I remain firmly of this opinion.
"too often this experience goes either unremarked or recorded in judgments where the local authority is not named. If local authorities which merit criticism are to be named then so too surely should those which deserve praise. If the public interest is a reason for naming the incompetent then surely the very same public interest requires the naming of the competent. Otherwise the public may have a seriously distorted impression of the family justice system – and that is very certainly not in the public interest."
That was said specifically in reference to the public identification of local authorities, but the same must surely apply to all the other professionals involved in the family justice system.
"I was blessed – and so was the family – with the largest and most dedicated team of professionals one could ever hope to find. In and out of court I had superb and unstinting assistance not just from all the experts … and from a dedicated and devoted team of social workers from Durham County Council under the exemplary leadership of Mrs Tracie Metcalfe, but also from no fewer than five guardians – Mr Paul Greenhalgh, Mrs Jane Stanley, Ms Janice Deakin, Mrs Sue Cameron and the Official Solicitor – , and no fewer than seven counsel with their instructing solicitors – Miss Gillian Matthews (instructed by Mrs Kelsey Clayton of Durham County Council, legal services), Miss Pauline Moulder (instructed by Mr David Coombe of Gordon Brown Associates), Miss Margaret Sweeting (instructed by Miss Alexandra Owens of Newbys), Miss Rachel Hudson (instructed by Mrs Maggie Crisell of Ben Hoare Bell), Miss Samantha King (instructed by Miss Karin Welsh of Meikles), Mr Kester Armstrong (instructed by Mr David Bradley of Richmond Anderson Goudie) and Mr Frazer McDermott (instructed by Mr Derek Winter of Mortons), together with Ms Clare Routledge of David Gray. No judge, no family involved in the court process, could have wished for more. Tyneside should be proud that it can call upon such a skilled, experienced, dedicated and caring group of professionals."