Council loses appeal against adoption compensation ruling

Essex Council has lost its appeal against last year’s landmark
high court ruling ordering it to pay compensation to a couple for
failing to give them full details of a boy it placed with them for
adoption.

Judges also rejected an appeal by the adoptive parents against
part of the original ruling that limited their potential damages to
the period leading up to the placement and not for the four years
afterwards.

The boy, who was placed with the couple in the mid-90s, aged
five, suffered from serious behavioural problems and had been
assessed as needing constant adult supervision.

In last year’s case Mr Justice Buckley ruled that social workers
failed to give the adopters a “full and fair picture” of the boy
before he was placed with them.

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