Posts
Advertising children for adoptive parents in the national press
There have been four adverts for adoptive parents for children in the Mirror this week with another due tomorrow for ‘National Adoption Week’. They are here: 'Will you be my forever parents?' Heartbreaking story of boy who wants to be adopted'; ‘Alex wants nothing...
Press regulation: why we are unimpressed by IPSO
There are many things wrong with the way the national press reports legal matters, especially matters relating to the Family Court and the Court of Protection. But they are not going to get better unless and until the so-called regulator, IPSO, takes firmer action to...
The Court of Protection’s not so secret anymore, but the press don’t seem to have noticed
In the words of the song, the 'secret' Court of Protection is 'no secret anymore' because since January 2016, hearings are held in open court, unless the circumstances are exceptional. Applications for committal for contempt are always held in open court. We have...
Family Court Reporting Watch: Weekly Round-Up
Correcting and clarifying media reports of family cases; Explaining or commenting on published Judgments of family cases; Other transparency news MEDIA REPORTS OF FAMILY COURTS CASES: Re W – The Wrong End of the Stick (blog here) PUBLISHED FAMILY COURT...
“You and Your Father”: Judge writes TO a young person in a judgment
Mr Justice Keehan has taken the unusual step, not just of creating a short extra judgment for, but also writing that judgment directly to, the 15 year old young person, whose future he had to decide (and his father). Northamptonshire Council sought a care order for a...
Response from IPSO to our complaint about the Daily Mail
This post represents opinion and comment from Sarah Phillimore and should thus not be take as representative of the views of all members of the Transparency Project - but she hopes it is. On September 6th 2016 four family lawyers complained to the Daily Mail about...
Litigants in person – getting court documents well before the hearing begins
Conducting your own case as a litigant in person (LiP) is hard enough as it is, without being given a massive bundle of the other side’s documents and law reports at the door of the court, just as the hearing is about to begin. Last week a judge in the High Court...
Re W – The Wrong end of the stick?
[Edit 17/10/16 : The Daily Mirror Various newspapers] this week reported a family case about adoption. We think they have got it rather wrong. The article is by Brian Farmer, and is titled “Grandparents win court fight to stop grandchild they didn't know existed being...
Lessons from the Ellie Butler case
Lessons from the Ellie Butler case October 3rd London Resolution Sarah Phillimore Child Protection Resource Lucy Reed Pink Tape Andrew Pack Suesspicious minds Handouts : Sarah Phillimore's handout Lucy Reed's handout - the view looking back List of resources with...
Throwing in my Transparency Towel
This is a post by Sarah Phillimore about why she is going to take her football and go home now. Recently, two judgments were posted on BAILII relating to a sad case about two parents who could no longer be in a relationship with each other, but who had a small child...