GRAPEVINE has been invited to join a regional group of legal, medical and social care professionals who work to improve the experiences of people with learning disabilities in the family court system. 

Mia Docker, Grapevine's advocacy co-ordinator, said that Judge Bellamy
had invited Grapevine to take part in Warwickshire & Coventry Family Justice
Council's Annual Conference in October last year. Mia Docker and Claire Nash joined Judge Bellamy, magistrates, lawyers, social workers, Cafcass officers and health professionals and made a presentation about the work of advocacy. He had also invited Grapevine to nominate a representative to join the Council to share its expertise in advocacy for families of people with learning disabilities.  Information
about the work of the Warwickshire and Coventry Family Justice Council can be found on its website at www.wcfjc.co.uk.

Judge Bellamy, who had been part of the management committee of a citizen advocacy group earlier in his career as a solicitor in private practice, explained that the family justice system tries very hard to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities. He added that people are treated fairly during the course of family proceedings and care is taken to gather the right evidence before decisions are made in court. Judge Bellamy said: “The family justice system has a lot of experience of dealing with people with learning disabilities. People should have confidence in the family courts to deal with cases sensitively.”