News

Fears that social services departments would be flooded with requests to review civil cases involving children who had been taken into care as a result of expert medical advice, have proved unfounded, early indications reveal.

A straw poll by Community Care of 15 councils around England has found that none have been contacted by a family regarding a review of their case, following the announcement a fortnight ago of a review of 258 criminal cases.

The review was prompted by the acquittal of two women convicted of killing their babies, freed after doubts emerged about evidence from professor Sir Roy Meadow.


Original plans to extend the review to include thousands of cases in the family courts caused widespread panic that councils would be deluged with calls from parents wanting their case to be reexamined.

The move was swiftly dropped - although could yet be revived by the Department for Education and Skills.