Posts
The Daily Mail’s Court of Protection explainer : “What is the Court of Protection?”
This is a post by Barbara Rich, originally published by her via twitter and kindly reproduced here with her permission. Barbara is a barrister in private practice at 5 Stone Buildings, Lincoln’s Inn, London. The views she expresses are personal. The Daily Mail has...
Coercing the obdurate (and other exercises in futility)…
We have previously written about the case of MM (an incapacitated adult living in Portugal in a care home) and Mrs Kirk, who was imprisoned for refusing to assist the court with his return to be cared for back in Devon where he had previously been living. Our first...
Transgender v ultra-Orthodox Jewish community?
The press widely report the decision of Mr Justice Peter Jackson in a very sad and difficult case involving an ultra-orthodox Jewish (Charedi) family, where the father left the community to become a transgender woman, and has not seen her five children since. Mr...
Family Court Reporting Watch: Weekly Round Up
Correcting, clarifying or commenting on media reports of family court cases Explaining or commenting on published Judgments of family court cases Highlighting other transparency news MEDIA REPORTS OF FAMILY COURTS CASES / FAMILY JUSTICE ISSUES ...
From one extreme to another: media reports on the role of social workers in the death of Poppy Widdison
Poppy died 3 years ago, aged just 4, at the hands of her mother and partner who were long standing addicts. She had head injuries, bruising and had ingested drugs including heroin, methadone and ketamine in the 6 months before her death. According to recent reports...
Dossier claims children unnecessarily removed from parents
Children unnecessarily removed from parents, report claims Dossier indicates drive to increase adoptions is punitive for low-income families and alternatives exist This was the headline and strapline last week in the Guardian. The article announces the publication of...
Imaginary judges use imaginary powers to reform imaginary law
UK judges change court rules on child contact for violent fathers Senior judges are taking steps to end the presumption that a father must have contact with a child where there is evidence of domestic abuse that would put the child or mother at risk. WRONG. WRONG....
Domestic violence & family proceedings : Practice direction amendments to protect vulnerable witnesses & children
On 21 January 2017 Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division, published his 16th View from the President’s Chambers ‘Children and vulnerable witnesses – where are we?. This was accompanied by a report from Cobb J (dated 18 November 2016). This report includes...
Transparency in CoP and Family Courts – the President’s view.
On January 23rd 2017, the President of the Family Division and the Court of Protection, Sir James Munby, visited the Bristol Civil Justice Centre to have general discussion with local professionals about recent developments for the Court of Protection. There is...
Wife leads – and loses – fight to keep divorce hearings secret
The Times reported earlier this week that a case was about to be heard in which the Court of Appeal was being asked to consider the question of privacy in respect of financial remedy cases and appeals - and that it was thought that the Appeal Judges might issue some...