Legal Guidance and Research / Experts / Joy Hopkinson
Joy Hopkinson#11451

Joy Hopkinson , CBE/OBE/KC

London Borough of Southwark
I am an experienced Barrister of over 24 years call. In my current role as the Head of the Safeguarding and Community Services Legal Team for the LB of Southwark, I am responsible for a team of child care and adult social care lawyers, advocates and legal assistants. I provide specialist legal advice to children social care clients and officers and members within the council on children law and education law matters.
 
During my career I have practised at the independent Bar in chambers, central government at Treasury Solicitors and was appointed to an Inquiry. Practice areas included immigration and judicial review, crime and family law and regulatory law in respect of fitness to practise.
 
I enjoy delivering training to legal and social work professionals within the area of child protection and safeguarding with an emphasis on interactive learning and development workshops. I co–ordinated the delivery of training to professionals involved in preparing and presenting care proceedings at the Central Family Courts from 2017–2019 and currently sit on the CFC Family Justice Board Training Sub Committee. In October 2022, I was invited to be a speaker at the Central Family Courts conference, Guildhall, London and presented 'Public Law Reforms – 1 Year on. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. A Local Authority Perspective'.
 
I sit as a Senior Member of the Valuation Tribunal and as a Lawyer on the Independent Review Board for the Labour Party.  I am a Member on Workforce Racial Equality Standards Advisory Board for Social Care.


Practice Area

Panel

  • Contributing Author

Qualified Year

  • 1999

Experience

  • Labour Party - Lawyer on Independent Reviewing Board (2022 - Present)
  • Social Work England – Legal Adviser on Fitness to Practise Panels (January 2022 - June 2023)
  • LB of Lambeth - Principal Lawyer for Social Care Team (2017 - February 2023)
  • LB of Lambeth - Senior Lawyer (2013 - 2017)
  • LB of Lambeth - In house Childcare Advocate (2009 - 2013)
  • 4 Brick Court Chambers (2002 - 2009)
  • Treasury Solicitors (2000 - 2002)

Membership

  • Honourable Society of Middle Temple

Qualifications

  • Diploma in Law - 1997
  • MA Honours in History and Politics - 1996

Education

  • College of Law – Law Conversion course and Bar Vocation Course - 1996 to 1999
  • Dundee University - 1992 to 1996

3 Contributions by Joy Hopkinson

Kinship and Connected Person Foster Placements for Looked After Children in England: Legal Framework, Assessment, Temporary Approval, Review and Common Pitfalls
PRACTICE NOTES
Kinship and Connected Person Foster Placements for Looked After Children in England: Legal Framework, Assessment, Temporary Approval, Review and Common Pitfalls
Practice Note This Practice Note sets out a high-level summary of the principal legislation and processes for placing looked after children with a connected person acting as a foster carer. It explains: who qualifies as a connected person; the steps for arranging a placement with a connected person; the assessment route for approving a connected person as a foster carer, including interim approval; the approach to reviewing any approval; and frequent mistakes when carrying out assessments. Please note, the material here reflects the current position in England. In Wales, this field is governed by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and associated statutory instruments. For more detail on children’s social care in Wales, consult the following Practice Notes: Local authority powers and duties to provide accommodation for children in Wales, Local authority duties to looked after children in Wales and Local authority duties to children in Wales—child protection...
Local Government
Public Law Outline pre-proceedings in England: best practice, decision-making, legal gateway meetings, letters before proceedings, assessments and case management
PRACTICE NOTES
Public Law Outline pre-proceedings in England: best practice, decision-making, legal gateway meetings, letters before proceedings, assessments and case management
Note This Practice Note addresses the law currently applying in England. In Wales, the position is governed by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 together with the relevant statutory instruments. For Welsh guidance, see the following Practice Notes: Local authority powers and duties to provide accommodation for children in Wales Local authority duties to looked after children in Wales Local authority duties to children in Wales—child protection NB: this Practice Note also cites earlier legislation and statutory guidance, as certain linked materials give useful background and include templates that continue to be used during pre-proceedings. The Public Law Outline (PLO) originated in 2008 as part of reforms to care proceedings. It was subsequently updated by the PLO 2014 and the Children and Families Act 2014, which introduced a 26-week limit for completing care and supervision proceedings. See Practice Note: Public law children procedure—Public Law Outline. These changes place greater weight on work undertaken before proceedings commence. Providing support and intervention to children and families at the pre-proceedings stage remains a lasting priority within the PLO reforms and was again emphasised by the Public...
Local Government
Safeguarding Children in England: Legal Framework, Local Authority Duties, Multi-agency Arrangements, Statutory Guidance, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews and Child Death Reviews
PRACTICE NOTES
Safeguarding Children in England: Legal Framework, Local Authority Duties, Multi-agency Arrangements, Statutory Guidance, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews and Child Death Reviews
This Practice Note sets out the statutory duties to safeguard children. It explains local authorities’ (LAs) obligations towards children in their locality and area, the specific arrangements for joint working between relevant safeguarding partners, statutory reviews of child safeguarding practice, and processes for reviewing child deaths. The government guidance document ‘Working together to safeguard children: A guide to interagency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (2023)’ (as updated periodically) describes safeguarding children and promoting their welfare as: offering help and support to address children’s needs as soon as difficulties first become apparent shielding children from maltreatment, whether at home or elsewhere, including in online contexts and settings preventing impairment to children’s mental and physical health or development making sure children are brought up in conditions that are consistent with safe, effective care supporting children to live with their birth parents, or otherwise within their wider family through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and when in the children’s best interests taking steps to enable all children to achieve the best possible outcomes, in line with the outcome set out in the Children’s Social Care Framework Legislation and statutory guidance underline the importance of multi-agency working. The responsibility...
Local Government
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