Posts
FAMILY COURT REPORTING WATCH ROUNDUP
Welcome to this month’s Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family court cases, explain and comment on published family court judgments and highlight other transparency news MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY COURT MATTERS The Independent -...
Which Judges can relax reporting restrictions?
It's not that often that a journalist or legal blogger attends a family court hearing but, when they do, they will often ask for permission to report what has taken place, anonymously. Because lawyers and judges are often unfamiliar with dealing with this sort of...
What is ‘gaslighting’ and what does it mean in family court cases?
We have noticed assumptions that family courts are familar with the terms 'gaslighting' and 'being gaslit', but is the meaning widely known and understood? A straw poll suggests not. This post will look at the origins of the concept, and its occurrence in modern case...
The Transparency Project’s response to the consultation on improving the judicial disciplinary system
We've published our response to the consultation in the form of a post below: JUDICIAL DISCIPLINE: CONSULTATION ON PROPOSALS ABOUT THE JUDICIAL DISCIPLINARY SYSTEM IN ENGLAND AND WALES - RESPONSE OF THE TRANSPARENCY PROJECT TO THE CONSULTATION THE TRANSPARENCY...
Local authority support services in Wales and private law contact disputes: Re R-E
This judgment, Re R-E (Contact: Support from local authorities in Wales) [2021] EWFC B95 from Pontypridd Family Court, published on BAILII a few days ago, has a number of unusual features. One is the outcome, that direct contact was found not to be in the child's...
Behind Closed Doors. Why We Break Up Families and How to Mend Them by Polly Curtis: A BOOK REVIEW
This is a live book review. I’m writing it as I read it. The book itself is a beautiful object. I don’t read enough books to know if this is typical for a Virago hardback, the latest thing in hardbacks, or just this book. This book feels pocket-sized. You’d...
Section 20 accommodation of children (‘voluntary accommodation / care’) Guidance Note
This document explains section 20 of the Children Act 1989 and the equivalent piece of law in Wales (s76 Social Services & Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014), sometimes called 'voluntary care' or 'voluntary accommodation'. Version 4 of this guidance note (January 2022)...
Two new Griffiths judgments – what are they about?
Last week saw publication of two new judgments relating to the child of former MP, Andrew Griffiths, and current MP, Kate Griffiths. Here we summarise what those judgments are about and what they do (or don't) tell us about matters of principle that might affect...
Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup
Welcome to this month's Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family court cases, explain and comment on published family court judgments and highlight other transparency news MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY COURT MATTERS The Independent, Daily...
Landmark solutions to difficult cases
At every level, judges of the family court have to resolve sometimes unimaginable situations - acts in the "never ending carnival of human misery." The intensity of such cases is nearly always increased where the children involved are very unwell, and the patchwork of...