I was going to blog about the new High Court decision in Devon County Council v EB and Others 2013, but John Bolch of Family Lore not only beat me to it (which is usual) but he said everything that I wanted to say.
So, I commend his feature on it to you. If you don’t already follow the Family Lore blog, then you should.
I suspect we are about to get a Court of Appeal decision (I hear these whispers) that clarifies that “necessary” in the context of “is this expert necessary” means something rather akin to “If I am to continue living, it is necessary that you stop strangling me” [what we lawyers might call the Dudley v Stephens interpretation of the word 'necessary'] and moving away from this namby-pamby idea of necessary in that context being anything to do with uncovering the truth, or delivering justice, or providing a fresh pair of eyes on a pivotal and life changing decision, or article 6.
Anyway, in the meantime, read this authority whilst you can still potentially rely on it.
http://www.familylore.co.uk/2013/04/devon-county-council-v-eb-ors-minors.html
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
