Posts
The importance of free and unconditional consent of the surrogate in parental order cases
This is a guest post by Lottie Park-Morton, Senior Lecturer in Law at University of Gloucestershire, who is currently undertaking a PhD on surrogacy and children’s rights. Lottie tweets as @cparkmorton The recent case of Re C (Surrogacy: Consent) [2023] EWCA Civ 16...
Family Law Breakfast
For too long, transparency in the family courts had been put in the “too-difficult box”, but with the forthcoming court reporting pilot it was to be hoped that the right balance could be struck between confidence and confidentiality. So said Sir Andrew McFarlane...
New Guidance note – What to do if a reporter attends your hearing
As the Transparency Reporting Pilot is about to launch, we thought it would be helpful if we gathered together some helpful tips for those who may be about to encounter journalists and legal bloggers in their courtrooms for the first time. Tip number one : Don't...
Observations on a case about suspected fabricated illness under the new reporting pilot
The winds of change are perhaps already blowing, with at least one family court case already operating under the open justice pilot due to start from 30 January for most children cases in Leeds, Cardiff and Carlisle. What can be reported of this case, at this stage,...
Parenting at a distance – a correct use of section 20
Use of section 20 Children Act 1989 for the voluntary accommodation of children has long been subject to controversy. Critcisms of practice have ranged from alleged coercion of parents into agreeing and lack of fully informed consent, through to allowing children to...
FAMILY JUSTICE: OSTIIS APERTIS?
FAMILY JUSTICE: OSTIIS APERTIS?[1] Or a mantle of inviolable secrecy?[2] A challenge to those who would keep the doors closed This is a guest post by Sir James Munby, former President of the Family Division On 28 October 2021 the President published the outcome of his...
LEGAL BLOGGING IN THE FAMILY COURT – A NEW PHASE
At the end of January 2023, a new reporting pilot [update, the linked guidance from November has now been superceded by a version dated 18 January here - readers should check the TIG page regularly for the most up to date version as this document may change as the...
Mind the Gap – the welfare decisions for H-N, a child (PART TWO)
PART TWO This is Part Two of a report from observing a final hearing in the Central London Family Court as a legal blogger and applying for the usual statutory bar on reporting to be lifted, so as to be able to publish this anonymised report. Part One is my...
Mind the Gap – the welfare decisions for H-N, a child (PART ONE)
This is a report from observing a final hearing in the Central London Family Court as a legal blogger and applying for the usual statutory bar on reporting to be lifted, so as to be able to publish this anonymised report. It’s split into two parts as it’s long. Part...
‘A failure of implementation’ – House of Lords Committee: ‘unacceptable’ that legislation for children and families was ‘largely left on the shelf’
The House of Lords set up a parliamentary post-legislative scrutiny committee in January 2022 to inquire into the effectiveness of the Children and Families Act 2014. One of the several criticisms that appear in the committee’s report (published today) is the delay in...