On November 29, barristers from Coram Chambers hosted a highly beneficial training session for the Joint Legal Team (JLT) at the Reading Borough Council.
The JLT, a ‘shared service’ providing vital legal support, serves a range of partner authorities, including Bracknell Forest Council, Wokingham Borough Council, West Berkshire District Council, Slough Borough Council, and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.
The training, conducted by Katherine Duncan, Hannah Whitehouse, and Shárin Diegan from Coram Chambers, focused on essential skills for social workers.
The session addressed crucial topics such as drafting a re B-S analysis, preparing for court, presenting evidence effectively, and understanding the complexities of threshold criteria and post-adoption contact.
Engaging participants through a mock case study, social workers were tasked with preparing for a final hearing and then faced cross-examination by pupil barristers Alex Clift and Cason Yong. This hands-on approach provided a realistic insight into courtroom procedures and enhanced the participants’ practical skills.
Attendees expressed overwhelmingly positive feedback about the training, emphasising its relevance to their professional development. The collaborative effort demonstrated the value of shared services in delivering comprehensive legal assistance to the partner authorities involved.
This successful training day reflects the ongoing commitment of Coram Chambers and the Joint Legal Team to foster excellence in legal practice, ultimately benefiting the communities they serve.
