What can we help with?
We can help with issues including, but not limited to:
- Challenging Ofsted inspections and enforcement action
- Health & safety
- Environmental health
- Inquests
- Crisis management
- Child care proceedings
- HR advice and employment law
- Discrimination advice
- Disclosure and barring service
- Property/commercial premises
- Contractual disputes and debt recovery
- Wills and probate advice
- Court of Protection and deprivation of liberty
Our regulatory team is highly experienced in advising childcare and early years providers in respect of regulatory issues. This includes challenging Ofsted inspections, advising on and assisting with Ofsted enforcement action, or enforcement action taken by Environmental Health, the Health and Safety Executive, or the Food Standards Agency. We also advise and represent providers at inquests.
We have represented providers in relation to serious accidents and fatalities, civil proceedings brought by regulators, and/or prosecutions. Our team can help defend you and your business.
Attracting and retaining the best staff in an ever-tightening recruitment pool is a key consideration, therefore having the correct HR and employment knowledge and support when recruiting, managing, and terminating employment contracts will help safeguard you and your organisation. Nurseries frequently need advice on contracts and policies, sickness issues, maternity, pay and benefits, managing staff and dealing with disciplinary matters.
To help you maintain best practice in relation to HR and employment law we can offer dedicated ongoing support through our fixed fee packages. We specialise in providing a full range of outsourced HR support; whether this is in assisting with a particular project, providing training to your business, or offering fully outsourced HR support through our HR packages, Workplace Plus and HR Assist, we can help you. In addition to this we can advise on a non-retained basis regarding any HR or employment law issue you may be facing.
Claims against organisations and businesses by service users and customers for alleged discrimination continue to increase. This may be due to a number of factors. Discrimination is often thought of in the context of employment. However, separate to employment discrimination are civil cases for discrimination. These claims can be raised by the public against public bodies and businesses, including those within the childcare or education sectors. Stephensons is one of the few firms in the country that has a dedicated discrimination law team handling defence of civil claims.
Early years providers often have different requirements for their business premises and may need property law advice. Our real estate team and commercial dispute teams can help with property law, including advising on landlord and tenant issues, lease agreements, acquisition and disposal, finance and investment portfolio and asset management.
Early years providers have a duty of care to safeguard children in their care and may require legal advice on issues such as child protection policies, reporting suspected abuse or neglect, and responding to allegations of abuse. We have one of the largest child care teams in the North West with nine Children Panel accredited solicitors.
Who do our solicitors help?
Across the breadth of our teams, we have vast experience of helping nurseries, pre and after schools nannies and child minders. We assist early years providers all over the country. We understand the needs of this sector so well we have been appointed to national telephone helplines in relation to legal matters covering thousands of nurseries.
We have close working relationships with professionals of a range of disciplines to best service clients including barristers, experts, and mediators.
Why choose our solicitors?
We have specific teams who have the specialist knowledge to assist you, which means that they have in-depth knowledge acquired from many years of working within the childcare and early years sector.
Many of our teams are award winning and highly accredited, which is evidence of the quality of service we can deliver.
We can handle cases nationwide and are used to working to urgent timeframes to support our clients when they need it most. We provide multiple channels for you to communicate with us, from face to face and video conferencing, to direct dials for the team working with you.
Where possible and to give you reassurance on cost, we will work to a fixed price.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team about any aspect of our work with childcare and early years providers please call us on 01616 966 229 or complete our online enquiry form and we will contact you directly to discuss your requirements.
