Essex loses appeal over compensation

The Appeal Court last month rejected Essex Council’s case against a
landmark ruling in adoption practice.

In 2002, in the first case of its kind, the High Court had ordered
Essex Council to pay compensation to a couple for failing to
disclose full details of a boy it placed with them.

The boy, who was five when placed with the couple in the mid-1990s,
suffered from behavioural problems and was assessed as needing
constant adult supervision.

In the High Court, Mr Justice Buckley ruled that social workers
failed to give the adopters, who cannot be named for legal reasons,
a “full and fair picture” of the boy before he was placed with
them.

The Appeal Court also rejected the adoptive parents’ appeal against
part of the High Court ruling that limited their potential damages
to the period leading up to the placement and not for the four
years afterwards.

The level of damages will be decided at a later court hearing.

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