Ridley & Hall hosts a major visit from a senior delegation of some of Paraguay’s key figures
Ridley & Hall’s Huddersfield office hosted a major visit from a senior Delegation of some of Paraguay’s key figures as the country looks to move from its reliance on children’s home in safeguarding cases.
The delegation comprised:
- Judge Maria Eugenia Gimenez (Court of appeals, San Lorenzo)
- Nadia Florentin (head of residential care-Paraguay)
- Patricia Rivarola (deputy attorney-general with oversight of children’s care and protection)
- Edgar Rios (deputy public defender)
- Liz Rojas (head of foster care)
- Edson Hugo Gomez (Executive Director at San Lorenzo – who will oversee pilot project)
Adriana Moran (Lawyer- translator)
The delegation came to learn best practice in the UK and continued the work with SFAC – Strengthening Families and Children. The visit centred on West Yorkshire.
In a packed timetable SFAC combined from Leeds Relational Practice Centre’s plans (Leeds Children’s Services), and the plans included visits to Ridley & Hall where they received training from past and current members of the judiciary in Huddersfield County Court and from Senior Partner Nigel Priestley MBE. They met with Cafcass and with Baroness Blake at the House of Lords.
Commenting Nigel Priestley said “As Chair of Trustees of SFAC and Senior Partner at Ridley & Hall it was a privilege to host this delegation.
SFAC have been involved with individuals and groups from Paraguay wanting to bring about change. The team began sharing options about protecting children and how care can best be provided outside children’s homes.
I led a conference in 2018 with Dan Hope and District Judge Ranjit Uppal with Supreme and High Court Judges on children’s care and protection. It led the Court and Government signing the first joint working protocol to reform Children’s services.
This visit in 2023 was to help the key agencies with a draft manual for children’s services and with a pilot for local delivery of child protection.
The delegation came to learn and to ask questions. We certainly haven’t got everything right in the UK and we were honest about the theory and practice not always joining up here.
It was another step along the road to bring about fundamental and lasting change in Paraguay.”
