Esther Whitney is an autistic mother, and an award-winning artist, who endured a prolonged and extremely challenging Family Court battle, to secure the return of her baby, after she was received into the care of the local authority when she was just seven weeks old. Cathie Long is an independent social worker, who is also autistic, and met Esther in her capacity as an expert witness. Cathie has an MA in Autism and was awarded awarded ‘The Professional Learning Award Outstanding Achievement (Autism)’ in December 2017 by the University of South Wales. Esther is currently studying for an MA in Autism. Esther and Cathie’s workshop will highlight some of the flaws in the current child protection system, with the intention of helping parents, carers and professionals gain a clearer understanding of what needs to change to ensure experiences like Esther’s are not repeated. The issues they will cover include: