Free Hybrid Seminar – The Court of Protection and Complex Housing: Hoarding, Possession, Homelessness and Specialist Accommodation

This seminar will explore the use of the Court of Protection in addressing complex issues of housing provision arising from hoarding, possession claims (including those involving anti-social behaviour), welfare benefits, and homelessness.

These matters will be considered in the context of the specialist care needs of individuals who lack capacity to litigate, as well as other domains of decision-making linked to possession claims, injunctions, or accessing specialised or adapted accommodation.

Our Court of Protection team offers unrivalled multidisciplinary expertise in complementary areas including community care, housing, education, immigration and family law. This breadth enables a thoughtful and holistic approach to complex cases such as those explored in this seminar.

Our Court of Protection team won ‘Court of Protection Set of the Year’ at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024.

Speakers
Bethan Harris, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
Bethan is an experienced barrister specialising in community care law, social housing, Court of Protection and related areas of public law. She was shortlisted for Court of Protection and Community Care Law Barrister of the Year at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2023. Bethan is a Band “A” member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s panel of preferred counsel. She is consistently recommended in legal directories in all three of her main areas of practice. Bethan frequently appears in the Court of Protection, where her work includes emergency applications, deprivation of liberty issues, local authority safeguarding duties, personal welfare applications, contested appointments of financial/health and welfare deputies, and complex care packages. She also handles some property and financial affairs matters. Bethan acts for litigation friends, local authorities and family members.

Amina Ahmed, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Amina practises primarily in the area of public law care proceedings, representing parents, children, local authorities and interveners. She has experience in cases involving complex non-accidental injury, sexual abuse, cruelty and neglect, and has also acted in the Court of Protection. Amina handles Court of Protection matters, including disputes over care planning for adults with disabilities and financial deputyship. Having worked as a psychiatric nurse before transitioning to a career at the Bar, Amina is frequently instructed by solicitors seeking someone who can handle clients with mental health needs with sensitivity, knowledge and understanding. She has strong client care skills and strives to put clients at ease while providing sound advice. Amina also ensures that instructing solicitors receive prompt and constructive feedback following hearings.

Tim Baldwin, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Tim Baldwin is ranked in Chambers UK for Social Housing, Community Care, and Civil Liberties and Human Rights and is also identified as a leading junior in the Legal 500 for Social Housing, Court of Protection and Community Care, and Administrative Law and Human Rights. He was nominated for ‘Court of Protection Junior of the Year’ at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024. Tim is Co-Convenor of the Court of Protection and Mental Health Team and has considerable experience in Court of Protection proceedings concerning health and welfare decisions, accommodation and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) issues for applicants and all respondents, including emergency applications and instruction by the Official Solicitor. Recent cases have concerned disputes over residence, contact and care, together with DoLS and court authorisation of deprivation of liberty, including damages claims for false imprisonment. He is also Co-Chair of the Housing Law Practitioners’ Association (HLPA), a member of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) advisory panel, and supports community care litigation through his role on the Access Social Care (ASC) advisory panel.

James Holmes, Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
James is a specialist court of protection practitioner and is able to sit as a nominated judge of the court of protection. He regularly appears in the Court of Protection, accepting instructions from the Official Solicitor, families, local authorities and Accredited Legal Representatives. His expertise spans the full range of the Court’s jurisdiction, including welfare disputes, s.21A challenges, deprivations of liberty, and complex matters before the High Court, including where the inherent jurisdiction has been invoked. James has particular expertise in cases involving hoarding, forced marriage, challenges to capacity assessments and contested deputyship appointments. As a result of his background as a family law practitioner and as a Tribunal Judge in the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber, this further enhance his ability to handle complex, multi-disciplinary cases.

Reserve your in-person or online ticket
In-person tickets are limited by the venue’s capacity. After you have completed the form, we will be back in touch to confirm whether a place is available at the 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 8th May. If you have not received the link by 3pm on Thursday 8th May, and it is not in your junk inbox, please email webinars@gclaw.co.uk.