Please join us for our annual webinar covering key developments touching on safeguarding and social care.
Many different aspects of safeguarding and social care continue to see significant change from the definition of deprivation of liberty and the complexity of inquests to the impact of Inquiries and to the defence of civil claims. This year has been no exception.
Whether you are a social worker, an in-house solicitor, a safeguarding lead, or you are involved in defending claims against social care providers, this webinar is for you. Six engaging 25-minute talks from experts at Weightmans will help you keep up to date with the key developments.
Session 1: Deprivation of Liberty – update and stocktake -
Since the AGNI judgment on 2 June 2026, the legal landscape around deprivation of liberty has been transformed. We are all trying to find our way round how to make sense of the new approach to defining a DoL, and what to do about the great many cases where there is no longer likely to be a DoL, but there may still be other issues involved for which P’s rights need to be protected in other ways. This session will recap the decision of the Supreme Court, the practical impact, and the case law applying it in practice, and look ahead to the key questions from here. Speaker – Ben Troke.
Session 2: Data Protection -
The number of data claims received by the public sector shows no sign of a decline. The use of AI in such claims, particularly by Litigants in Person, increases the complexities involved in dealing with the claims. Our session will look at current trends that we are seeing in these cases, focusing on claims in the social care context and considering tactics, in anticipation of the judgment of the Supreme Court in Farley. Speakers - Andrew Clarke and Asema Natha.
Session 3: Inquests in a social care context -
There has been an increase in complex inquests invoking Article 2 Human Rights Act 1998 over the last few years, as well as Coroner’s sitting with a Jury. This is partly due to analysis of sharing of responsibility across several government agencies – such as the Police, Local Authorities and Hospital Trusts. This means that it is vital to prepare for an inquest properly and to understand the ramifications of disclosure of documents, internal investigations, and the appropriate support of staff. This session will cover the purpose of an inquest, case law involving disclosure from Local Authorities and other agencies, preparation, jury inquest, likely conclusions and the coroner’s overarching and important statutory duty to make a Report for The Prevention of Future Deaths (Regulation 28 Reports). Speaker – Sarah Knight.
Session 4: Inquiries; grooming gangs -
Since the Jay report on Rotherham in 2014, Child Sexual Exploitation has been the issue that we knew was coming. In the past two years, the Survivors’ campaign for justice has gathered momentum and now we have the Grooming Gangs Inquiry. We will update you on that and its effects across the law in child abuse clams. This Inquiry will herald profound change that practitioners need to be ahead of. Speaker – Henry Bermingham.
Session 5: Vicarious liability -
Many safeguarding claims we handle include allegations that the defendant, Local Authority or Foster Agency, is vicariously liable for the perpetrator’s assault. This session will provide an overview of the current test, how the test applies to different factual scenarios and recent application by the courts in a wider context. We will also consider if the Government proposals to reform fostering may impact vicarious liability. Speaker – Sarah Bradley.
Session 6: Limitation, negligence, and human rights -
In one of the largest changes to civil limitation in recent years, the Crime and Policing Act 2026 came into force this Summer. The Act removed the 3 year limitation period for civil liability claims arising out of sexual abuse in England and Wales, instead placing the burden on the defendant to demonstrate that it is not possible for a fair hearing to take place. We will look at how the Courts have been approaching the issue, the approaches to the new legislation we have seen from claimant firms and the impact the new legislation will have on HRA claims and common law claims. Speakers – Ceri-Siân Williams and Hannah Parry.
Sessions 1 to 3 will run from 11am to 12.30pm. Sessions will run from 2pm to 3.30pm. You can register for the morning and afternoon sessions individually.
