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Switalskis Solicitor travels to Brazil to train Foster Care professionals

Until relatively recently, the idea of Foster Care in Brazil and Latin America was inconceivable. Abandoned and orphaned children were cared for exclusively in children’s homes and institutions. However, the tide has now turned, and Federal Government policy dictates that States must look to implement Foster Care programmes: and they are looking to experts in Yorkshire to help them do it.

Switalskis Director and Child Care Solicitor Advocate Ranjit Uppal, travelled to Brazil at the beginning of September with children’s charity SFAC (Substitute Families for Abandoned Children). Ranjit was asked by the charity to deliver training as part of its ongoing work in Brazil to help deliver and promote foster care programmes.

SFAC, a Yorkshire based charity, aims to change the way governments and communities approach childcare around the world. It was founded in 2002 by the Director, Michael Pease a former coal-miner who retrained to become a social worker. SFAC works alongside other experts helping a broad range of organisations establish new ways of working to ensure the best possible care for vulnerable children.

Speakers at the conference included Dr Deni Riva, a Brazilian Judge and the conference organiser; Dr Marcos Rolin, a Human Rights Professor and Michael Pease of SFAC. Ranjit shared with delegates the English courts’ approach to child protection, kinship placements and how courts make best interest decisions for children.

450 delegates, including Judges, lawyers, social workers and psychologists attended the 2 day conference at the Supreme Court in Campo Grande, Mato Gross do Sol. All of them were keen to learn as much as possible about the UK’s approach to foster care.

Ranjit, who has recently been shortlisted as Solicitor Advocate of the Year at the 2016 Law Society Excellence Awards, said of the visit: “It has been a privilege to travel to Brazil to share my knowledge and experiences with so many professionals, all of whom want the best outcomes for the children they work with. Bringing about a change of approach and attitude in a country that is socially and culturally complex is both challenging and rewarding. I look forward to returning in 2017 to see the impact of the planned changes.”

Ranjit is no stranger to training people abroad. In 2014 he travelled to Uganda to meet with Supreme Court Judges and officials in national government on behalf of ROLE UK to develop training on child protection and international adoption.

Contact details

Address: St James House,

28 Park Place,

Leeds,

LS1 2SP

Phone: 0113 2231400

Jawad ready for Rio: Paralympics set to takeover Brazil

HIGH HOPES: Jawad has won Gold at the European and World Championships previously and hopes to add a Paralympic medal to his collection

For 16 days, athletes from around the world competed in hundreds of heats, contests and finals as they attempted to secure a prestigious Gold medal as the Olympics flourished in Rio.

Now, with the dust hardly set on the tracks, it is time for the ‘superhumans’ to take to the stage as the Paralympics take over Brazil.

One athlete hoping to secure his first Paralympic medal is Leeds’ own power lifter, Ali Jawad.

READY TO GO: Ali Jawad says he is determined to become the first person with Crohns to win a medal at either the Olympics or Paralympics

The 27-year-old, who was born without legs, has overcome a number of challenges in his life, from fleeing his native Lebanon as a child to being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2009.

Despite the obstacles, Jawad has continued to pursue and excel in the sport is passionate about and narrowly missed out on a medal in London, finishing in fourth spot.

This time around, Jawad has qualified for the 59kg class, and goes into this summer’s Games off the back of gold in the 2014 World Championships and 2015 European Championships.

Aiming to become the first person with Crohn’s to win a medal at either the Olympics or Paralympics, the Crohn’s and Colitis UK ambassador says he is determined to make 2016 his year.

“When I was diagnosed I thought it was the end of my dreams of Paralympic glory,” he said. “I was in constant pain, feeling weak, not a good idea for a powerlifter, and at times, quite depressed - particularly when I found that there is no known cure for Crohn’s Disease.

“A few months later, following surgery, I pulled myself together and went into intensive training for the London 2012 Paralympics. It was touch and go whether I would qualify, due to a flare-up, but I did. Narrowly missing out on a medal has only made me more determined to try and get to Rio and have another go.”

He added: “There’s times when I want to weep, and I’ve learned that when that happens, the best thing to do is laugh.”

“Through Crohn’s and Colitis UK, I’ve met so many people who live with IBD or know someone who does, and I’ve found that just talking about our experiences can help.

“Most of all, I want there to be a cure - and I’ll be helping Crohn’s and Colitis UK to raise awareness of the need for research funding - so that one day nobody will have to think about living with Crohn’s or Colitis in order to follow their dreams.”

Good luck to Ali Jawad and all our Team GB Paralympians flying out to Brazil!

Rio’s resounding success! Team GB goes down in history at 2016 Olympics

PICTURESQUE: Rio was overtaken by Olympic fever for 16 days as over 11,000 sportsmen and women arrived in the Brazilian city

It has been yet another record breaking 16 days for British athletes at the Olympics this summer, with Team GB competitors bringing home a record haul of medals from a rocking Rio.

With 67 gold, silver and bronze medallions hanging around their necks, the haul eclipses even that of London four years ago and cements the 2016 Games as the nation’s greatest ever Olympic Games.

Only the ever-dominant US team surpassed the GB medal count, with usual recent bridesmaids China slipping to third place in the medal table.

The British Olympic Association had set a target of just 48 medals prior to departure, yet this number was surpassed with five days left of competition left to go as Britain ruled in Rio.

“We’re making sporting history - 67 medals, nearly 130 medallists, across 19 sports,” said Liz Nichol, UK Sport chief executive.

“Even the sporting superpowers haven’t done that in the past, but we are one of those now.”

Success in the 2016 Games has been put largely down to investment in sport in the UK.

BOA chairman Bill Sweeney added: “Since National Lottery funding started in 1997, we have had five consecutive [summer] Olympic Games of medal growth - no other country has come close to that.”

From Usain Bolt’s unprecedented ‘treble-treble’ to a refugee team making its debut at the Games, this year’s Olympics were not only a success for the Brits.

In total, over 11,000 athletes competed across 28 events and 306 categories as the world’s best sportsmen and women came together to battle it out in the international arena.

In athletics, IAAF President, Seb Coe, said fans have been treated to an unparalleled level of performance at this year’s instalment of the Olympic Games – and with three world records and nine Olympic records all registered, it is clear to see why.

“It’s a bit like glugging your way through a quart of cream, it’s been exceptional,” he said on the night prior to the closing ceremony.

 “It has enthralled, it has entertained, it has captured the global imagination this week.

“The sport is alive and incredibly strong. The performances have been incredible and I cannot remember a group of athletes who have come to an Olympics better prepared.”

International Olympic Committee chief, Thomas Bach, was also quick to declare Rio 2016 a success.

“These were the marvellous games, in this marvellous city,” he said.

“These Olympic Games are leaving a unique legacy, for generations to come. History will talk about Rio de Janeiro before and a much better Rio de Janeiro after the Games.”

MARVELLOUS GAMES: The Rio Olympics were officially the most successful Games in Team GB’s history

Team GB Olympic Champions:

GOLD:

Adam Peaty - 100m breaststroke, swimming

Joe Clarke - K1, kayak

Jack Laugher & Chris Mears - men’s synchronised 3m springboard, diving

Men’s team sprint - cycling

Helen Glover & Heather Stanning - women’s coxless pair, rowing

Men’s coxless fours - rowing

Men’s team pursuit - cycling

Mo Farah  - 10,000m, athletics

Men’s eight - rowing

Women's team pursuit - cycling

Justin Rose - golf

Max Whitlock - floor, gymnastics

Max Whitlock - pommel horse, gymnastics

Jason Kenny - individual sprint, cycling

Andy Murray - tennis

Charlotte Dujardin - dressage

Giles Scott - sailing

Jason Kenny - keirin, cycling

Laura Trott - omnium, cycling

Alistair Brownlee - triathlon

Hannah Mills - 470 event, sailing

Saskia Clark - 470 event, sailing

Jade Jones - taekwondo

Nick Skelton - eventing, showjumping

Great Britain - women's hockey

Liam Heath - solo kayak 200m

Nicola Adams - boxing

Mo Farah - 5,000m, athletics

SILVER:

Jazz Carlin - 400m freestyle, swimming

Men’s 4x200m - freestyle relay, swimming

Siobhan-Marie O’Connor - 200m individual medley, swimming

David Florence & Richard Hounslow - C2, canoeing

Katherine Grainger & Vicky Thornley - women’s double sculls, rowing

Men’s sevens - rugby

Jazz Carlin - 800m freestyle, swimming

Bryony Page - trampolining

Team dressage - equestrian

Women’s eight - rowing

Jessica Ennis-Hill - heptathlon

Becky James - keirin, cycling

Men's 4x100m - medley relay, swimming

Louis Smith - pommel horse, gymnastics

Nick Dempsey - RS:X, windsurfing

Callum Skinner - individual sprint, cycling

Mark Cavendish - omnium, cycling

Becky James - sprint, cycling

Jack Laugher - diving

Jonathan Brownlee - triathlon

Liam Heath - double 200m, kayak

Jon Schofield - double 200m, kayak

Lutalo Muhammad - taekwondo

Joe Joyce - men's super heavyweight boxing

BRONZE:

Tom Daley & Dan Goodfellow - men’s synchro 10m platform, diving

Ed Ling - men’s trap, shooting

Sally Conway - -70kg, judo

Chris Froome - road race, cycling

Steven Scott - double trap, shooting

Max Whitlock - all-round, gymnastics

Greg Rutherford - long jump

Sophie Hitchon- hammer

Amy Tinkler - floor, gymnastics

Nile Wilson - horizontal bar, gymnastics

Katy Marchant - sprint, cycling

Joshua Buatsi - boxing

Marcus Ellis - doubles, badminton

Chris Langridge - doubles, badminton

Great Britain - 4x100m relay

Vicky Holland - triathlon

Bianca Walkden - taekwondo

Great Britain - women's 4x400m relay

Brasilliant! Cabana’s barbecue has got us all heated up

If you were to travel from Leeds to Rio in Brazil, it would be a trip that would be an exhausting long-haul flight of around 6,000 miles.

Thankfully, for hungry folk in Yorkshire, there is Cabana Brasilian Barbecue in Trinity Leeds which spins the compass and serves up food from South America to the North of England.

Home to the famous Spicy Malagueta Chicken (using the Brasilian Malagueta chilli) and other lip­smacking delicacies like Crispy Lula Squid and Cheesy Baked Doughballs, Cabana has got us stretching out our arms wider than Christ the Reedemer’s statue for its warm welcome to the food scene.

Serving halal-friendly food and vegetarian fare, along with their drool-inducing Brasilian barbecue, co-founder Jamie Barber and his business partner - Brasilian-born David Ponte – set up Cabana in 2012, bringing their own brand of casual dining to customers.

Jamie told the Asian Express: “I’ve always been captivated by ‘churrascarias’, Brasilian barbecues, or as I liked to call them, ‘the thing with the skewers’.”

CO-FOUNDERS: (Left to right) David Ponte and Jamie Barber have brought their Brasilian barbecue concept to Leeds Trinity shopping centre

The restaurateur, who also owns Hush in Mayfair, was mesmerised by the ‘grand ballet of giant skewers coming straight off the grill’ and knew that we would be, too.

“There was no-where that took the heart of Brasilian barbecue - the freshly grilled meat and giant barbecue skewers -and placed it within a modern setting,” Jamie explained.

The duo wanted to showcase the best of Brasil: the optimism, the vibrant ingredients and the heat and so Cabana was born.

Jamie added: “We want to transport our diners there so that they forget, even for an hour or so, that they’re in the UK.

“We aim to make sure that every part of the Cabana experience - from the taste of our best-selling chicken, Caipirinha cocktails and fruity refrescos, to the ‘upcycled’ interior - lifts our customers’ spirits and whisks them far away.”

Jamie and David said: “Expect fresh, bold flavours of flame-grilled skewers and Brasilian street food, friendly staff ready with a smile and a dynamic, colourful setting to enjoy it all in.”

There isn’t another restaurant quite like this one in Leeds that offers easy-going Brasilian food served in such a unique and jazzy way.

“But more than that, I think the Cabana experience is what makes us stand out from the crowd,” Jamie added.

“We aim to give customers a 360 degree experience, which means every element;  from the lighting, to the music to the food and drink, dances in harmony like the Samba.”

So call in at Cabana: it’s so Brasilian – you’ll need your passport before you step through their doors.

Contact details:

4 Albion Street,

Leeds,

LS1 5AT

Tel: 0113 3917500     

Web: cabana-brasil.com