Posts
Love is all you need…
While Valentine’s Day may spell ‘Romance’ for many happy couples, it’s also a big day for consumer spending and, apparently, a boost to the national economy. So, while many are blissfully Instagramming their flowers and chocolates, let’s take a look at some more...
‘Sensationalist’ ‘provocative’ and ‘unhelpful’ – why I was prepared to say in a national newspaper that our state kidnaps children
This blog post originally appeared in the November 2018 issue, [2018] Fam Law 1375. 'Abduction: (legal use) The illegal removal of a child from its parents or guardians.' 'Kidnap: Abduct (someone) and hold them captive, typically to obtain a ransom.' (Oxford...
Allegations of domestic abuse: are family courts working for children and families?
Family Law publishes a regular column by The Transparency Project. This blog post originally appeared in the January 2019 issue, [2019] Fam Law 75. On 22 November 2018 The Transparency Project facilitated a panel discussion at Gresham...
No fault divorce and the media
On 8 February, justice minister David Gauke announced proposals to reform the law of divorce to introduce ‘no fault divorce’. What is the current law? Currently, a person wanting to divorce must prove that their marriage has irretrievably broken down and...
Family Court Reporting Watch Round Up
Correcting, clarifying or commenting on media reports of family court casesExplaining or commenting on published judgments of family court casesHighlighting other transparency news MEDIA (MIS)REPORTS OF FAMILY COURT CASES A press release was agreed with judicial...
Update on the case about missing Olly
Our Alice Twaite attended a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London today, where Mr Justice Williams approved the publication of a press release agreed between various of Olly's family members, in the hope it will encourage his and his mum's safe return....
A mixed picture on complaints
A little while ago, we wrote about some pretty poor lightweight reporting of a serious judgment. Initially, our attention was drawn to a terrible headline from Sky, but it soon became clear that most of the papers were writing in similar terms about the case -...
News from the latest Cafcass open board meeting: a new family forum to engage parents on their Cafcass experience
Cafcass hold two of their board meetings in public each year to promote transparency, engagement and trust. 23rd January 2019 was a working board meeting with a focus on sharing early thinking about a strategy refresh. The presentation slides were swiftly emailed out...
The New Domestic Abuse Bill: Enough Change for Victims in the Family Court?
This is a Guest Post by Jess Mant, a Lecturer in Law at Cardiff University, specialising in family law, access to justice, legal aid and issues of structural inequality. On 21st January 2019, the long-awaited Domestic Abuse Bill was published, following the...
Government publishes draft Domestic Abuse Bill
The government has today published its response to its ‘Transforming the Response to Domestic Abuse’ Consultation, which it launched in March 2018, together with a draft Domestic Abuse Bill. The consultation was launched by the Home Office and the Bill is being...