From October it is proposed to remove Legal Aid funding for residential assessments.  As this is just one of many measures to reduce the total Legal Aid bill, we are not hopeful of the outcome, but we do hope to secure guarantees from the Government that funding for residential assessments will be safeguarded.  One of the arguments put forward by the Legal Services Commission was the case ‘Re G’.  This ruling has now been overturned by the case Re L and H (Residential Assessment); however, the LSC’s proposal has gone forward.

We consider that for the majority of high risk cases residential assessment is the only safe form of assessment which also, in the long run, saves the tax payer many thousands of pounds per case when account is taken of the cost of a keeping a child in care. It is also the most certain way of preventing either the unnecessary removal of a child from its parents with the consequent anguish and psychological damage to all involved or leaving a child with unsuitable parents and possibly a future of suffering and abuse, or worse . . .

We have gained the support of HH Judge Simon Jack (click here to read his letter to Rt Revd John Packer, Bishop of Ripon & Leeds in this regard) and also solicitors, MPs, councillors and other interested parties, including ex-residents, to contest this, as can be seen on our on-line short video ‘The Case’ .