President of the Family Division/Family Justice Council Debate

Contact for babies in care proceedings

This debate took place on 8 December 2010. It centred on the arrangements for contact for babies as set out in (Re M [2003] 2 FLR 171). Research (Kenrick 2009; Kenrick 2010) has demonstrated the serious negative impact on babies of high levels of contact and the debate reviewed both the legal framework and child development issues. The debate is summarised in an article by Schofield and Simmonds to be published in Family Law later in 2011 followed by a briefing for social workers to be issued by BAAF.

Research references

• Kenrick, J. (2009). "Concurrent planning A retrospective study of the continuities and discontinuities of care, and their impact on the development of infants and young children placed for adoption by the Coram Concurrent Planning Project." Adoption and Fostering 33(4).
• Kenrick, J. (2010). "Concurrent planning (2) ‘The rollercoaster of uncertainty’." Adoption and Fostering 34(2).

Podcasts from this debate include the following speakers:

• Judith Masson,
  Professor of Socio-Legal Studies, University of Bristol 
• Danya Glaser,
  Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children 
• Jenny Kenrick,
  Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
• Lord Justice Munby,
  Court of Appeal