James Arrowsmith
United Kingdom
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Articles by James Arrowsmith
Learnings For Local Government From The Thirlwall Inquiry
The Thirlwall Inquiry into the crimes of Lucy Letby carries clear lessons for organisations beyond the NHS. As statutory safeguarding partners, local authorities should review how the inquiry's findings — on evidential thresholds, LADO referrals, child death review arrangements, and safeguarding culture — apply to their own partnership arrangements, and take practical steps to drive improvement across the system.
Thirlwall Inquiry: What this means for local authorities and social care organisations
James Arrowsmith, Partner in social care at UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, which advised NHS England during the inquiry, provides his comments on what the report’s findings mean for local authorities and other social care organisations. The Thirwall Inquiry final report was published this week, delivering one of the most significant recent assessments on NHS patient safety – but with implications too for social care.
Building on solid ground: The risk manager's role in the neighbourhood revolution
A neighbourhood based future The case for neighbourhood working has been made, and there is a widely shared consensus that a neighbourhood-based model should be the future of many key services. Three key shifts are driving neighbourhood-based programmes: More integration and collaboration across services and organisation. Co-production with citizens and communities. Sharing and delegation of decisions and power.
From Manchester to Westminster: How Andy Burnham's social care revolution could play out
Andy Burnham has arrived in Downing Street with a pledge to invest his political capital in overhauling England’s care system. James Arrowsmith explores whether the Prime Minister’s convictions can survive contact with the complexity of governing a national system. Social care in England has spent too long in a holding pattern. The structural pressures are well understood, the reform agenda has been articulated many times over, and the consequences are being felt in every local authority area.
First decision on the Crime and Policing Act 2026
Details 14.Aug.2026 The scope of the new limitation regime under the Crime and Policing Act 2026 has been confined to sexual abuse claims. James Arrowsmith sets out the implications for defendants and insurers facing mixed abuse claims. Browne Jacobson has secured a successful defence in KHX v Isle of Wight Council [2026] EWHC 1949 (KB), in what is believed to be the first judgment to consider the scope of the new limitation provisions for abuse claims under the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
Customer addiction and platform-driven harms
Is Big Tech on the same trajectory as Big Tobacco? A landmark verdict in Los Angeles and last month’s rejection of a bid for a new trial suggest the answer may be yes. As the first jury verdict to hold Meta and Google liable for harms caused by deliberately addictive platform design, there are structural parallels with tobacco litigation that could have implications for legal practitioners and technology businesses operating in the UK.
AI under the radar: governance lessons from the West Midlands Police failure
Artificial intelligence has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, to the extent we don’t always know we’re even using it. Take a simple Google search, which has fundamentally changed with AI-generated overviews, while Microsoft has installed CoPilot plug-ins within its Edge internet browser to summarise page results. These are examples of “under-the-radar” AI, which is increasingly being used by staff without organisational oversight or training.
Neighbourhood working: Turning policy ambition into practical delivery
From the rollout of neighbourhood health centres in the 10 Year Health Plan to family hubs in children’s services, adult social care, neighbourhood policing and the UK Government’s Plan for Neighbourhoods, working at neighbourhood level is now central to how national and local government engage with people and communities. The forthcoming Devolution and Community Power Bill will go further, requiring local authorities to introduce neighbourhood governance arrangements.
Key legal insights
The sessions brought together local government lawyers to explore how legal teams can support their organisations in navigating the strategic, governance and practical challenges of implementing AI. Why this matters now Responses gathered in connection with the training showed many organisations are at the beginning of their AI journey, with aims to develop capacity or have some good practice within two years.
Self-neglect And Capacity: Insights From Recent Regulatory And Safeguarding Adult Reviews
James Arrowsmith’s articles from Browne Jacobson are most popular: in United Kingdom Browne Jacobson are most popular: within Strategy, Energy and Natural Resources and Technology topic(s) with readers working within the Insurance industries Self-neglect represents one of the most challenging areas of adult safeguarding practice, sitting at the complex intersection of individual autonomy, mental capacity, and statutory duties to protect vulnerable adults.
What Does The 10-Year Plan Say About Social Care?
James discussed how the 10-year plan relates to social care, noting the sector's desire for more clarity. Baroness Casey's final report on the long term future of adult care is expected in 2028, but the likely shape of a care system is emerging through initiatives like the health plan and the draft outcomes framework for Local Authorities. The overarching policy of delivering care at the neighbourhood level through neighbourhood hubs aims to bring care closer to the community.
The UK Statutory Residence Test (SRT) - What You Need To Know
There are many reasons why individuals may decide to move to, or leave the UK tax year. Whilst complex, the SRT is designed to provide taxpayers with objective clarity on how they will be assessed by HMRC.
What does the 10-year health plan mean for social care?
Though Baroness Casey’s commission is just beginning its work, this 10-year health plan offers the clearest indications yet of the government’s vision for social care. The vision is one of person-centred support, which maximises autonomy and independence through a combination of prediction, prevention and technology.
Strategies for prevention and response
When allegations arise, legal obligations are often engaged, and there are strong moral and organisational reasons to meet and exceed these. By doing so, organisations can promote early identification of concerns, effective investigation, and appropriate remediation. This minimises impact to an organisation and, most importantly, harm to others. In this note, we have drawn together key considerations to plan for and deliver an effective timely response to emerging concerns. Who knew?
Trans matters in sport: The decision in For Women Scotland
What has changed? The Supreme Court Decision in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers UKSC/2024/0042 (FWS) clarifies the meanings of ‘sex’, ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in the Equality Act 2010 (EqA) as being based on biological sex (sex at birth). The decision is contrary to the longstanding view of the Equality and Human Rights Commission that sex for the purposes of the EqA could be changed by a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
Reducing AI bias in recruitment and selection: an integrative grounded approach
Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming business domains such as operations, marketing, risk, and financial management. However, its integration into Human Resource Management (HRM) poses challenges, particularly in recruitment, where AI influences work dynamics and decision-making. This study, using a grounded theory approach, interviewed 39 HR professionals and AI developers to explore potential biases in AI-Recruitment Systems (AIRS) and identify mitigation techniques.
Multimodal Deep Learning for Android Malware Classification
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Insurance sector insights 2025
As consumerism continues to evolve through advances in technology, and there is a greater understanding of the dangers inherent in manufactured goods, it will be necessary for insurers to adapt to these shifting risks, such as those arising from ‘Forever Chemicals’ and lithium-ion batteries.
R v Essex County Council
Facts At the heart of the case was the determination of whether, when a 16-year-old, TW, should have been classified as a "child in need" under s.17 of the Children Act 1989 so that his accommodation by the Local Authority should have been under s 20. This would have significant implications for the level of support and services TW, who is now over 18, could receive from the local authority as a former relevant child. TW’s mother had sadly died, and he then lived for a time with his stepfather.
Court of Appeal extends local authority liability for kinship foster carers
The Decision The Court of Appeal handed down its decision in the case of DJ v Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and SG this week. Following first instance and appeal decisions that a local authority was not vicariously liable for kinship carers, the Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by the Claimant on the particular circumstances of the case and thereby determined that local authorities may be vicariously liable for kinship carers.
Proposed Reform To The Non-UK Domiciled Tax System
The 2024 Budget announcements included proposals that will change the taxation system for non-UK domiciled individuals with effect from 6 April 2025. The current remittance basis of taxation will be replaced with a regime based on the number of years of tax residence.
Being Proactive In Tax Planning Is The Only Way Forward In A World Of Tax Policy Uncertainty
Trying to predict the tax landscape has become unusually challenging – if not virtually impossible – in recent months. The slew of tax policy U-turns and rising political uncertainty in the UK this year have hampered planning and investment decisions for businesses and individuals.
July is just the starting line for ICS
By James Arrowsmith | 30 March 2022 The Integrated Care Systems (ICS) project seeks to apply a systems thinking approach to address a wicked problem: how to make all our communities healthier, in a sustainable way. Like any wicked problem, this is complex and involves many interrelated functions which are delivered by a range of organisations (public, private, and voluntary and community sector), and so greater integration is a key part of the reform.
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