I have not written much about the COVID-19 inquiry on this site. In part this is because, having been very… Read more
Month: March 2026
An ‘intolerable’ deprivation of liberty – and the need for reasons
No one will ever entirely fill the shoes of the late Sir James Munby, one of whose defining characteristics was… Read more
Capacity as a social construct, and the problem of untangling the spider’s web
Many, including, me, who read the judgment of Poole J in SW v Nottingham City Council & Anor [2025] EWCOP 53… Read more
Switzerland and the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – how many would still travel?
One point quite often lost in the debate about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill before the Westminster… Read more
Family Help, Early Help and the myth of ‘non-statutory support’
The Department for Education has published an updated version of Working Together to Safeguard Children (‘Working Together’), the statutory guidance… Read more
Assisted dying and Article 2 ECHR – a self-imposed dilemma (and an update on delegated powers)
Assisted dying and the duty to secure life under Article 2 ECHR With grateful thanks to the Socio-Legal Studies Association… Read more
Personal welfare deputies – Lawson and Mottram strikes back?
Personal welfare deputyship cases are like buses – you wait ages, and then three come along all at once. After… Read more
Personal welfare deputies, the Court of Protection and Article 8 ECHR
Re XY [2025] EWCOP 55 (T2)[1] is an important decision about the powers of welfare deputies. The specific facts of… Read more
Adult safeguarding, Dame Louise Casey and gaps in the law
Dame Louise Casey, leading an independent commission into adult social care, has recently (3 March) written to the Secretary of… Read more
Restraint, learning disability and Seni’s Law – in conversation with Beverley Samways
In this ‘in conversation’ with Dr Beverley Samways, we talk about the scoping review she has led on to review… Read more