Free Webinar – Social Care Case Law Update: Adults and Children

Join Garden Court Chambers’ leading community care team for a case law update covering key developments over the last year in social care law for adults and children. The webinar will survey important cases concerning the Children Act 1989, the Care Act 2014 and other key social care legislation. The speakers will identify the key principles emerging from these authorities and what they mean in practice for lawyers.

Speakers

Alex Temple – Barrister, Garden Court Chambers (Chair)
Alex is a barrister specialising in public law, discrimination and human rights. He has extensive experience in education, community care, policing and criminal records. Alex often advises children and vulnerable adults in cases arising from schools, colleges, exam boards, universities, integrated care boards and local and central government. Alex acts regularly in claims for judicial review, EHCP appeals and money claims. He has experience acting in proposed strategic litigation, and advises changemaking individuals and organisations.

Bethan Harris – Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Bethan is an experienced barrister specialising in community care law, social housing, Court of Protection and related areas of public law. Bethan won Court of Protection and Community Care Junior Barrister  of the Year 2026 at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2026, after being shortlisted for Court of Protection Barrister of the Year at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2025, 2024 and 2023. Bethan’s work in community care includes assessments and service delivery issues such as direct payments; personal budgets, and eligibility criteria; accommodation issues; delivery of services to people who lack mental capacity; charging; children in need; carers’ assessments; Equality Act issues, disability adaptations, safeguarding and human rights duties of public bodies to vulnerable adults. She wrote and appears in the webinar, Care Act 2014 Part 1: What practitioners need to know, produced by Practical Law. She is an editor of the Community Care Law Reports.

Jennifer Twite – Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Jennifer has been involved in a number of age assessment cases involving unaccompanied age-disputed individuals. At Just for Kids, she was involved in an important case establishing that local authorities in London are in breach of their statutory duties under the Children Act. Jennifer is a specialist in youth justice and children’s rights. Her public law practice involves taking challenges regarding the disclosure of criminal records, criminal-justice-related judicial reviews and community care.

Ollie Persey – Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Ollie is ranked as a leading junior in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 for his community care practice, which spans age assessments, asylum support, support for victims of trafficking, welfare benefits, and health and social care. His recent cases have concerned social direct payments (BDH v Lambeth), children’s continuing healthcare packages (WND v NHS West and North London ICB), restitution for unjust enrichment for healthcare costs (A v NCL ICB), the closure of children’s centres (JO v Ealing), accommodation for LGBT+ asylum seekers (ACN v SSHD) and access to the Mental Health Tribunal (Cameron v SSJ). Ollie co-convenes Garden Court’s Community Care Team. He won a Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Award in 2024.

Georgie Rea – Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Georgie’s community care practice spans asylum support, welfare benefits, and health and social care. Current and recent cases include several successful challenges brought under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, with interim relief in the form of accommodation granted in four cases to date. Georgie has been instructed in several age assessments and provided clients with representation at hearings in both the High Court and FTT. Georgie has provided detailed training and updates on age assessments, both in person and online.

Freya Morgan – Barrister, Garden Court Chambers
Freya is building a practice in immigration, public law, and community care, with a particular interest in cases engaging the Children Act 1989 and Care Act 2014. She has represented clients with disabilities in the First-Tier, Upper Tribunal, and County Court. Before joining Garden Court in October 2025, Freya delivered the Adults at Risk Partnership Project at Bail for Immigration Detainees, advocating for the release and housing of adults assessed as Levels 2 and 3 on the Home Office’s Adults at Risk policy.

Reserve Your Ticket
We will send joining details to all those who have signed up on the day of the event. If you have not received the link by 2pm on 10 November, and it is not in your junk inbox, please email webinars@gclaw.co.uk.