Barrett v London Borough of Enfield [1999] UKHL 2 is a landmark case in English law that dealt with the issue of local authority liability for the care of children in their care.
The case involved a man who had spent his childhood in foster care and claimed damages against Enfield London Borough Council for their alleged failure to find him an adoptive home or suitable foster parents, and for mismanaging his return to his own family, which resulted in psychiatric damage.
The House of Lords ruled that an adult who had been in the care of a local authority as a child could sue the authority for negligence in their failure to fulfil their statutory duties to find a suitable home for the child or to manage their return to their family, which caused harm to the child.
The ruling in this case established that local authorities could be held liable for their actions and omissions in relation to the care of children in their care, and that such claims were justiciable.
You can learn more about this topic and relevant case law with our Tort Law notes.
