Another Re W – a successful appeal against refusal for leave to oppose an adoption

by Julie Doughty | Feb 23, 2020 | Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

In this unusual case, Re W (A child: leave to oppose adoption) [2020] EWCA (Civ) 16, the Court of Appeal has given birth parents leave to oppose an adoption order being made. The child is nearly three years old and has been living with his prospective adopters since...

“Brain dead” baby – Court of Appeal confirms High Court’s decision to allow “dignity in death”

by Paul M | Feb 23, 2020 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

We reported earlier on the High Court’s decision to allow a hospital to withdraw mechanical ventilation from a baby, who had been starved of oxygen during his birth and had been declared “brain-stem dead” by doctors. Now the Court of Appeal have given their...

A day in the life of a district judge

by Lucy R | Feb 20, 2020 | FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging

I made an impromptu visit to the family court in Oxford last week, and was able to sit in on most of the hearings in a District Judge’s list. I was permitted to report the details of each of the hearings I attended, subject to preserving the anonymity of the...

Lawyers highlight poor practice in private law cases and the impact on families

by Julie Doughty | Feb 14, 2020 | Comment, FCReportingWatch

A new research report paints a very alarming picture of the way in which some family courts are dealing with cases where there is domestic abuse, ignoring the procedures put in place by court rules.  Academics at the University of Sussex conducted a survey of 88...

Re W – a successful appeal against a placement and care order (and a costs order against the LA)

by reporting watch team | Feb 13, 2020 | Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

This is a post by Emily Boardman. Emily is a founding partner at Boardman, Hawkins & Osborne LLP – family lawyers and mediators based in Oxfordshire. She has a national practice in adoption proceedings, appeals and representing parents in care proceedings. Emily...

The President’s Call For Evidence – First Thoughts

by Lucy R | Feb 11, 2020 | Consultations, FCReportingWatch, Transparency News

It was last May, not long after he had dealt with journalist and TP member Louise Tickle’s successful appeal against a wrongly imposed reporting restriction order, that the President of the Family Division announced he would be holding a ‘Transparency...