Rachel Meade - it's a win!

[BreadInCaptivity]

x.com/legalfeminist/status/1744697995822526961?s=46&t=88gZvdSnTk70X8b2ZUPZtA

Amazing, well done Rachel and team for what you have done for GC women. We thank you.

Well done Rachel and team.

Wow. That’s excellent, especially the judges scathing words to Westminster Council and SWE.

Excellent news.

Great news, courageous and well deserved

Archive copy: https://archive.ph/GqeSF

Excellent news. Vindication. I wish Rachel hadn't had to go through this, and I hope this means that other people will not suffer the same sort of ordeal in future.

Lovely end to the weekend. Well done Rachel and her team.

SWE are proper gits with their statement, no apology or admission of wrongdoing

“We recognise that this has been a particularly difficult case for those involved, conducted against a backdrop of debate on many issues within society in relation to freedom of expression. Our professional standards reflect the diversity of social work practice and the positive impact it has on people’s lives, families and communities.
“We will continue our work in this area and clearly articulate the reasons when there are reasonable grounds to investigate a social worker’s fitness to practise.”

Westminster city council were a little more fulsome

“We have received the findings of the remedy hearing and will need to take a little time to digest before responding more fully. We have apologised to Rachel Meade and the points which emerged during the tribunal and remedy hearing are an important and helpful guide in clarifying what is acknowledged to be a rapidly evolving area of employment law.”

FFS. If SWE had either the legal nous or common decency their only response should have been "it's a fair cop guv', you've got us bang to rights and no mistake". instead of which, this mealy mouthed self serving heap of bollocks tells you they still, even now, dont get it.

Brilliant that they've been told to re-train all concerned.

They, and every else, are going to understand the bloody law, whether they like it or not.

Well done Rachel.

Well done Rachel! Amazing news! 💪🏼⭐️

So pleased to hear this. Congratulations Rachel, Naomi and team. As an ex social worker I have been horrified what has been going on in many Social Services and the silencing of Social workers. A case that was well worth digging for.

This case meant so much to me I am so pleased for Rachel and her team. Thank you for putting yourself through this. You have helped all of us. Enjoy the money, it seems trifling for years of hell.

It's a great result but the response from SWE is not at all encouraging.

It smacks of being very resentful of the judgement and considering how best they can get away with minimal compliance.

You get the sense they are pissed off as hell about being held to account.

I hope SWE have some kind of governing board that read those comments in horror. A 12 year old could interpret them as we don’t like this judgement and we disagree and we aren’t apologising to anyone and we will keep up our amazing work bullying our staff for all the right reasons.

Well done Rachel and her team and well done those who helped fund her case. The mechanisms of the law would not have been able to work without ordinary women helping in this way. I think TRAs forgot that while they could try to terrorise women into silence, we have our own money these days and could use this to fight back and effect change.

That SWE statement is a real “fuck you”, isn’t it?!?

Congratulations, Rachel and team - well deserved win after the hell you have been put through.

And suggests that, despite the case and despite Cass, they are totally captured.

And this is the body that regulates social workers who in turn are responsible for crucial decisions around the future and care of vulnerable children.

Terrifying.

Still no apology from SWE though?

“Colum Conway, chief executive of Social Work England, said the regulator was considering the judgement.
^^
He added: “We recognise that this has been a particularly difficult case for those involved, conducted against a backdrop of debate on many issues within society in relation to freedom of expression. Our professional standards reflect the diversity of social work practice and the positive impact it has on people’s lives, families and communities.
^^
“We will continue our work in this area and clearly articulate the reasons when there are reasonable grounds to investigate a social worker’s fitness to practise.”

But WCC apologised. Still relying on it’s all so very complex.

“A Westminster city council spokesman said: “We have received the findings of the remedy hearing and will need to take a little time to digest before responding more fully. We have apologised to Rachel Meade and the points which emerged during the tribunal and remedy hearing are an important and helpful guide in clarifying what is acknowledged to be a rapidly evolving area of employment law.”

edited to add: sorry just reached the end of the thread and seen I’m repeating what others have said about SWE.

chilling19 · Yesterday 21:51

In what lawyers described as an unprecedented move by a court to award exemplary damages against a regulator, an employment tribunal called for both the council and the watchdog to train their staff in the principles of freedom of speech.'

This is indeed very good news, but I wonder what will happen, regarding her legal fees?

Also, it's all well and good saying that they'll retrain people, but as in similar cases, why aren't the people involved sacked? Surely an orchestrated campaign bullying and harassment is gross misconduct, at the very least?

Wow. This isn't just a victory, it's a victory with icing on top, isn't it?

"It also recommended that Social Work England should within six months 'ensure that all its triage staff, investigation staff and case examiners shall receive training on freedom of expression and protected belief.'"

This should send a message out to the dunderheads running HR departments everywhere that you can't go round disciplining your staff because they've expressed an opinion you don't like.

I had forgotten social work England were defended by RMW 😁😁 ah it’s a good day!

What a fantastic result. Rachel deserves every penny.

The fact that both WCC and SWE have been directed to re-train their staff is priceless. Rachel has won an enormous victory that all HR departments and EDI leads need to take notice of.

RMW’s second edition will be out of date before it is published.

From Rachel's lawyer:

'This should serve as a resounding warning to all regulators that they must not let their processes be weaponised by activists who seek to punish and silence legitimate debate.'

100%. Let's hope this resounds throughout the land! Add it to Forstater and Jo Phoenix.

Just checked their Twitter feed to see if they've made any pronouncements on this judgement. Nothing so far, but looking forward to see how they will spin it...!