Secure Accommodation & DOL in Children Cases - Key Principles & the Decision in Re J [2025]

Introduction

Many practitioners working in public children law proceedings will often need to give consideration to applications for secure accommodation and/or deprivation of liberty.

Why have these increased in volume? Are you familiar with the differences between these orders and the legal principles relating to them, including the significant and recent caselaw and regulations?

What is the Court of Appeal view on DOL applications for children at present?

These and other matters will be considered in this webinar.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Secure accommodation orders - when would these be applied for and why?
• What is the criteria for secure accommodation, and does the age of the child matter?
• What is the position of the secure criteria review?
• Duration of secure accommodation orders, and recognition of these and DOL orders, both in England and Wales, and also recognition in Scotland
• Lack of secure accommodation units and steps that can be taken
• Use of Deprivation of Liberty Order Applications in cases involving children
• Process of seeking a DOL order following Re A-F
• Presidents’ guidance on Deprivation of Liberty Applications
• Practice guidance about transition of matters from National DOL List to Court of Protection - January 2025
• Implications of the Supreme Court judgement in Re T
• Application of the principles in A Local Authority v Mother [2024]
• Use of force and DOL Applications - Consideration of Re U [2024]
• What about the use of section 33(3) CA 1989? Implications of Re J [2024]
• Court of Appeal decision in Re J [2025] - what are the implications of this judgment going forward, and how will this change the face of DOL applications for children?

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Monday 7th April 2025

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 1,700+ others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email webinarsubscription@mblseminars.com for more details.