Indian tea documentary entered for award

Good news - my File on 4 radio documentary about whether tea grown in Assam in India can really be called 'ethical' has been entered for the One World Media Awards.

The One World awards recognise great journalism from developing countries.

'The Cost of a Cuppa' - produced by Sally Chesworth - is in the running. The shortlist is announced this month. 

Keeping it in the family?

Last night's File on 4 looked at a legal order called 'Special Guardianship', supposed to cement arrangements where extended family - say grandparents or an aunt or uncle - take in a child in the family. This is often called kinship care and in lots of cases, people step up to stop children going into care.

The programme is repeated this Sunday 6th March at 5pm on Radio 4. Or you can listen to it here.

Lawyers, social workers, family placement experts and Britain's top family judge, Sir James Munby have all been raising growing concerns about the speed at which children are being placed with relatives - sometimes people they've never met - and asking questions about the quality of the assessments of families - are they able to cope with a child who may have witnessed or suffered abuse? 

The government's now changed the law to beef up the assessment process and ensure tougher questions are asked of potential 'Special Guardians'. 

The three women I spoke to, on different sides of the special guardianship experience, tell extraordinary stories and suggest - as 'Hazel' puts it - 'we need to go back to the drawing board.'

A better brew?

Some news to report on the impact of File on 4's investigation into conditions for workers on some of Assam's tea plantations - Twinings, Taylors of Harrogate and Fortnum & Mason have joined Harrods in stopping buying tea from supplier Assam Company, on whose estates we found workers spraying pesticides without proper protective clothing and equipment, and people forced to live in broken homes with poor sanitation.

As explained in the latest BBC News article the British tea brands took the decision after the Rainforest Alliance's own auditor confirmed what we saw and withdrew it's ethical certification (the Green Frog seal of approval) from Assam Company.

The Rainforest Alliance and the brands broadly say that they're leaving the door open to buying again from the plantations, if they improve.

And some good news about the other estates we visited with problems - owned by McLeod Russel; Rainforest Alliance ordered it to improve housing too - and union leaders say they've seen big improvements already.