Free Hybrid Seminar – Representing Parents with Learning Difficulties in Care Proceedings: A Practical Approach

Parents with learning disabilities are overrepresented in care proceedings. Recent studies, including two important reports from the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, highlight the challenges that parents with learning difficulties face in care proceedings and the failure on the part of the family justice system and children’s social care to provide sufficient attention to ensure that parents’ rights under disability, equality and human rights legislation are upheld.

Against this, guidelines have been issued recently by the President of the Family Division (PFD) as to the use of Intermediaries and Advocates in family proceedings. The guidelines, published on 23 January 2025, can be accessed here. This seminar aims to address how practitioners can best represent parents with learning difficulties, when an intermediary and/or advocate is necessary, and other measures that practitioners can put in place to assist.

Speakers

Amanda Weston KC, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
Amanda is a leading public and administrative law silk. She co-authors Judicial Review: A Practical Guide (Lexis Nexis) and is a member of the ‘A’ Panel of preferred Counsel who act for the Equality & Human Rights Commission. Amanda has acted in hundreds of asylum and human rights appeals including in high-profile and sensitive cases and those involving extradition. Her cases include gender and sexuality cases, complex political and religious cases and appeals for children and vulnerable adults. Amanda also acts in cases in the Family Division, Administrative Court and appeal courts where the rights of children and young people are in play.

Amanda Meusz, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers 
Amanda won Family Law Case of the Year at the Family Law Awards 2022. She acted for the children’s guardian in the Supreme Court case of H-W (Children) (No 2) [2022] UKSC 17. Amanda was shortlisted for Family Law Junior of the Year in 2022 and 2024. She has been shortlisted for Advocate of the Year in the Women and Diversity Law Awards 2025. Amanda’s practice focuses on all areas of the law relating to children, including the provision of services to children and young people. She has extensive experience in public law matters and is regularly instructed in cases of the most serious and complex nature, including fatalities, catastrophic injuries, poisoning, FII, and sexual abuse. Amanda is often instructed in Deprivation of Liberty (DOLS) cases and other cases where the inherent jurisdiction is invoked, particularly those involving hospital trusts where medical treatment and/or end-of-life treatment and care are in issue. She is a passionate advocate for the rights of children and the most vulnerable parents in society. Amanda has developed a trauma-informed approach to her work, along with innovative practices to assist vulnerable clients in negotiating proceedings and the aftermath of proceedings. She regularly provides training in how to best represent vulnerable clients. Her client care is second to none, always realistic, compassionate and focused on achieving the best possible outcome for her client. Amanda provides trauma-informed training for Lawyers Who Care and is a champion and mentor for them.

Kat Edwards, Advocate and Manager, The Elfrida Society
Kat has been the Head of Services at The Elfrida Society for over three years and oversees Care Act, health and community advocacy projects, as well as consultation work with supported employees with learning disabilities. In this time, the Specialist Parental Advocacy Project has doubled in size and now supports over 70 parents in 15 London boroughs as well as Bromley, Reading, Berkshire and Enfield. It is a spot purchased service which is funded by Children’s Services to provide advocacy for parents where the children are CIN, LAC or in care proceedings. When introduced at the earliest stage of involvement with the local authority, advocates can provide emotional support, practical guidance and accessible information whilst encouraging parents to have their voices heard and feel empowered to ask questions and raise concerns. Kat has been an advocate for people with learning disabilities for over 20 years and has been a teacher for adults with learning disabilities and foster carer throughout this time. She also has a Masters in Learning Disabilities and runs her own Easy Read company outside of her work at Elfrida.

Nicola Lewis, Registered Intermediary, The Intermediary Co-operative
Nicola has been an intermediary for over 10 years, working mainly in the Family Courts. Nicola works mainly with vulnerable adults with learning disabilities and mild to moderate mental health conditions and with children who have age-related communication difficulties. Before moving to work in communication, Nicola worked as a private sector and an public law solicitor, and she also volunteered at a national mental health charity and a charity working with severely disadvantaged young people. She continues to work as a mediator with a special interest in child inclusive mediation. Nicola has contributed to both the Inns of Court College of Advocacy and the FLBA vulnerable witness training about the impact of communication difficulties and the work that intermediaries can do to facilitate communication. Recently, she has been a contributor to a seminar and discussions hosted by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory on the experience of parents with learning disabilities in the family justice system. Nicola also brings the voice of the intermediary and those she works with, to HMCTS public engagement groups.

Reserve your in-person or online ticket
In-person tickets are limited to the capacity of the venue. After you have completed the form, we will be back in touch to confirm whether a place is available at this event.

If you have booked an online ticket, we will send joining details to all those who have signed up on the day of the event. Please check your junk inbox if you have not received the link by Thursday 20th March. If you have not received the link by 3pm on Thursday 20th March, and it is not in your junk inbox, please email webinars@gclaw.co.uk.