Could do better – a self-fulfilling prophecy about parental fear

by reporting watch team | Nov 23, 2016 | Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

Parents of transgender children fear their ex-partners will sue them for custody of their children after the high court ruled that a seven year old child who identified as transgender should be removed from the care of their mother. Apparently. Except that fear (which...

Enemies of Transparency: Newspaper Stories & The Court of Protection

by reporting watch team | Nov 13, 2016 | Analysis, Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Notorious

This is a guest post written by Barbara Rich. Barbara is a barrister and mediator specialising in inheritance and trusts and Court of Protection property and affairs cases. She tweets as @BarbaraRich_law. The Daily Mail’s 4 November 2016 front page describing the...

Is it appropriate to admit covert recordings of professionals or others within family proceedings?

by reporting watch team | Nov 11, 2016 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Project

Earlier in 2016, The Transparency Project, along with the Association of Lawyers for Children and others, were invited by His Honour Judge Bellamy (Designated Family Judge for Leicester) to make written submissions to the Family Court regarding the question of covert...

A “Gay parents row” – OR who can adopt and when?

by reporting watch team | Nov 7, 2016 | Explanation, FCReportingWatch

There has been coverage in The Times and The Telegraph this week about a husband and wife who wish to adopt their foster children but have been told they can’t, because of their views about gay adoption. We thought it would be useful to give a brief explanation...

The X Files (Or: the Truth is Out There — but can a civil court rehearing really find it?)

by Paul M | Nov 2, 2016 | Explanation, FCReportingWatch

In a judgment handed down today, Re X (No 3) [2016] EWHC 2755 (Fam) the President of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, decided to continue, despite the withdrawal of the birth parents concerned, a full re-hearing of the original allegations made in care...

Ellie Butler case debated in House of Lords

by reporting watch team | Oct 26, 2016 | Analysis, Cases, FCReportingWatch

The Children And Social Work Bill is going through Parliament at present. It has been controversial due to parts which some have said would allow social services to be privatised and which could remove current safeguards. This post is about another aspect of the Bill,...