It's been a while since I've managed a book review. Because I'm always too absorbed in the job. I bought this book a couple of months ago, having read a review somewhere, and have been carrying it around in my backpack ever since. Unopened, naturally. There is always something more important. Last Saturday was spent travelling to our holiday location in France. On Sunday I sat under a palm tree and read this book in one sitting. I wept all the way through. That possibly tells you something about how much I needed a holiday, but it tells you more about the power of this book. We do this job because we care about the children at the heart of the system. but we sometimes (often) become disconnected from the reality. Partly to cope, and partly because for most of us in the job our lived experience is nothing like the experience of a child in care (care experienced lawyers are few and far between). Whilst we need our protective shell to survive, sometimes its important to reconnect with...

The other day I was trawling back through very old Pink Tape posts looking for something I thought I'd written back in 2009. I was struck by how often I was writing on this blog, at at time when I was between babies and back at work. In one month there were about 20 posts. They were mostly short and sarcastic single issue observations on some piece of news, and many of them are difficult to understand as the linked material is no longer available, but it's a reminder of how the rhythm of life changes over time. Now, as I am on the last straights of my unhappy approach to my half centenial, and freshly back from yet another doctor's appointment where I am poked and prodded and generally made to feel as if every ailment or ache is just an inevitable consequence of my near geriatric status, I write less often but (I hope) in a more considered way. At any rate my posts tend these days to be longer and more in depth. My lifelong struggle to live 'less is more' continues. I aspire to the...

Ok, well it also features yours truly wibbling on about her pet topic again, but I'd like to think this episode of the excellent Resolution Podcast is interesting nonetheless. It was certainly fun to record, and Joshua as SUCH a total pro, reeling off all those on point quotes that he had ready at his fingertips. Anyway, if you ARE a tiny bit anxious about reporters turning up in your court hearings, do listen. I hope you will find it reassuring. There are some useful signposts to materials in the show notes. Thanks to Resolution for devoting an episode to the topic. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2FfSs3MSLRSzn0QdN3REvd

To all care lawyers: There is an important post on The Transparency Project telling you about a new pilot that is running in Head Injury cases in Birmingham Sheffield and Manchester. When I say new, apparently its been live since April, not that anybody has been properly informed before launch, or even consulted on the design. As you will see from the article, and the linked pieces in the Gazette and Local Government Lawyer, there is huge concern being expressed by big hitters in head injury cases, that this will cause potential injustice to families (such as wrongful permanent removal and adoption) and / or will just be counterproductive of the scheme's aims to reduce delay and cost. Reducing delay is of course in the interests of families - these cases take far too long and the wait is agnonising. But no parent wants the wrong outcome quickly. They'd far rather have the right outcome done slowly. And we might reasonably assume that the wishes and feelings of children would be...