Parenting at a distance – a correct use of section 20

by Julie Doughty | Jan 12, 2023 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

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?

by Guest Post | Jan 12, 2023 | Cases, Comment, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging, Notorious, Transparency News

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...

Mind the Gap – the welfare decisions for H-N, a child (PART TWO)

by Alice T | Dec 7, 2022 | Analysis, Cases, Comment, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging

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)

by Alice T | Dec 7, 2022 | Analysis, Cases, Comment, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging

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...

Logan Mwangi – the Child Practice Review and the family courts

by Julie Doughty | Nov 27, 2022 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

This blog post will not go into detail about the distressing history of five year old Logan Mwangi, with which we are all too familiar through media coverage of the trial of the three people who were responsible for his death. An impression had been given at that time...

FGM: Bad-faith actors and unintended consequences

by Guest Post | Nov 22, 2022 | Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

This is a guest post by Georgia Fineberg about the case of Nottingham County Council v OA & Anor [2022] EWFC 102 (17 August 2022). Georgia is a pupil barrister who has worked for nine years in the women’s voluntary sector, primarily...