Care proceedings and chronic neglect

by Julie Doughty | Oct 24, 2025 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging

Six children, aged between two and twelve, were removed from their parents’ care because they had suffered chronic neglect and emotional harm, after court proceedings that had lasted 28 weeks and local authority involvement for 12 years. I’ve written about two...

An order for ‘no contact’ at West London Family Court

by Julie Doughty | Oct 10, 2025 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging

Earlier this month, I attended a private law hearing held at West London Family Court before His Honour Judge O’Donovan. The judge made a transparency order at the beginning of the hearing. There are some unusual aspects to this case, including a section 91(14) order...

Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup: August-Sept 2025

by reporting watch team | Oct 2, 2025 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Transparency News

Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family law, explain and comment on published family court judgments, and highlight other transparency news. MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW, TRANSPARENCY etc The Financial Times posed the...

Judgment given and published in Welsh

by reporting watch team | Sep 30, 2025 | Cases, Court of Protection

Thanks to Alex Ruck-Keene who noticed last week that BAILII had published a Court of Protection judgment by HHJ Edwards in Cardiff in the Welsh language. It’s TIRE (by her Litigation Friend LK) v Carmarthenshire County Council [2024] EWCOP 81 (T2). [UPDATE...

British teenager becomes a ward of court to escape from Somalia  

by reporting watch team | Sep 7, 2025 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

We spotted this dramatic court judgment published last week although, surprisingly, we’ve not seen any media coverage – Re M (Nationality Based Jurisdiction) [2025] EWHC 1821 (Fam). There are a few similarities with the widely publicised case in July of the 14 year...

Children left with harmful parents because of lack of foster carers

by Julie Doughty | Aug 18, 2025 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging

A local authority (LA) applied for care orders for six children in March 2025. At the case management hearing (CMH) I attended in April,  and wrote on here: ‘Completing care proceedings in less that 26 weeks’, a strict timetable was set out by the judge to ensure...