You can read all about the introduction of what is to be Part 3A of the court rules here and here.
We continue to be concerned about the lack of clarity in the reports, the draft rules, and generally what is intended with regard to participation of children and vulnerable aduts in family court proceedings.
We have submitted a brief response on the consultation on the new draft rules. We do not think they have been written in a way that is easy for anyone (public or proessional) to understand, and we hope that there will be some re-drafting,
Here is our response – Transparency Project response Part 3A
It would be interesting to see other responses – links to any that have been published would be welcome.
David Burrows was asking on twitter today what has happened to this proposed rule change. Anyone know?
Answering my own question in the previous comment (26 January), on Friday I was at a family justice event in Cardiff where Sir James Munby was speaking. There were questions from the floor about making courts more suitable for children and young people themselves. The President referred to the consultation and said things were not moving as quickly as he would have liked, because there are financial costs in making the rule change. It seems that the money to pay for it has not yet been found/agreed by the Ministry.