“Top Judge threatens to down tools rather than allow victims to be quizzed by abusers in his court”

by reporting watch team | May 19, 2017 | Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

…Or so we imagine the headlines may run if and when a member of the press reads as far as the bottom few paragraphs of the unassuming A (A Minor : Fact Finding; Unrepresented Party) [2017] EWHC 1195 (Fam) (19 May 2017), a recent judgment of Mr Justice Anthony...

Poppi’s dad to rake in money?

by reporting watch team | May 17, 2017 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

POPPI’S DAD’S CASH Accused dad of ‘abused’ tot Poppi Worthington to trouser thousands more in legal aid for inquest Paul Worthington, 49, got £117,000 in public cash for a custody battle over his other kids and is now set to rake in more   Above is...

Is there any public interest in naming divorcing couples?

by Julie Doughty | May 17, 2017 | Cases, Comment, FCReportingWatch

In The Times last week, family courts were accused of being ‘secretive’ because they do not advertise the names of people who are getting divorced – under the headline ‘Call to end divorce case secrecy’ (paywall). ‘Secret’...

What to do about ‘parental alienation’: B (change of residence; parental alienation) March 2017

by reporting watch team | May 15, 2017 | Analysis, Cases, FCReportingWatch

Re B (change of residence; parental alienation) [2017] EWFC B24 is the recently published judgment from a family court decision that a child had been alienated from her father by her mother and should move to live with her father. One of the aims of the...

CAFCASS, Contempt, Complaints and Child Protection

by reporting watch team | May 7, 2017 | Analysis, Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

This blog post is about a case which provides a useful discussion point around questions of privacy of information in family cases, and what can and can’t be disclosed about them. It illustrates how unclear things can be. The case is S v SP and CAFCASS [2016]...

Adoption – just how final is it? The Re W appeal

by reporting watch team | May 6, 2017 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

We wrote here about this case, involving a little girl “W” who had been made the subject of a placement order, allowing her to be placed for adoption away from her family. In the meantime, the original decision that had dealt with her and her siblings had...