Freedom versus responsibility when the press report on care proceedings: Round Two.

by Sarah P | Oct 25, 2018 | Comment, Trends

On 22nd October 2018 the Sun published a second in its line of ‘investigative reporting’ into the child protection system, titled ‘Parents who’ve lost kids in shadowy secret courts slam ruthless millionaires cashing in on UK’s fostering...

Children and young people’s mental health and well-being: yet more judicial concern about the lack of adequate provision of care

by Guest Post | Oct 23, 2018 | Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

This is a guest post by Camilla Parker, lawyer and independent consultant specialising in the legal rights of children and young people in need of mental health care. She explains why judges in two recent cases have expressed strong views about the lack of provision...

Pension mention: Ensuring you know about pensions when you get divorced

by Polly Morgan | Oct 16, 2018 | FCReportingWatch

When TP’s chair Lucy Reed forwarded me this article from the Telegraph (‘Divorcing women should be shown value of their husband’s pension, Age UK says’ – sorry paywall) my first response was AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH, which is the sound of a legal...

Reporting restrictions on Bethany’s dad – children’s rights or concealing system failure?

by reporting watch team | Oct 16, 2018 | Cases, Comment, FCReportingWatch

UPDATE 15 December 2018: Since the Radio 4 programme and this blog post, Jeremy has sadly had to continue his campaign for his daughter to be moved from St Andrew’s hospital to live somewhere that will meet her needs. This case has increased public awareness of...

Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup

by reporting watch team | Oct 14, 2018 | FCReportingWatch

Correcting, clarifying or commenting on media reports of family court cases Explaining or commenting on published judgments of family court cases Highlighting other transparency news MEDIA (MIS)REPORTS OF FAMILY COURT CASES The Guardian – We explained the...

When a journalist comes to court – lower those hackles

by Louise Tickle | Oct 12, 2018 | Comment

This blog post originally appeared in the August 2018 issue, [2018] Fam Law 957. Criminal courts are open to all, and lawyers barely bother to glance up when a reporter shuffles into the press bench. Decide to drop by a family court, though – which in almost all...

Expert evidence in children’s proceedings: a new Transparency Project guidance note

by Sarah P | Oct 12, 2018 | Events, FCReportingWatch

Family Law publishes a regular column by The Transparency Project. This blog post originally appeared in the September 2018 issue, [2018] Fam Law 1226. On 15 September 2018 The Transparency Project is due to officially launch its new...

What is the legal test for taking a baby away before a final care order is made?

by Sarah P | Oct 11, 2018 | Comment, FCReportingWatch

And does anyone really understand it? On 9th October 2018 the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory published a summary of its report ‘Born into Care: Newborns in Care Proceedings in England’. The full report is now available on the Family Justice...

A Big Step For The Transparency Project

by Lucy R | Oct 9, 2018 | FCReportingWatch, Transparency News

In August we advertised for applications to fill the role of Project Coordinator at The Transparency Project – the person appointed would be the first employee in the project’s history, so this represents something of a step forwards for us. We received...

A gasp factor and a gulp factor: bad conduct and the family assets

by Polly Morgan | Oct 9, 2018 | Analysis, Cases, FCReportingWatch

Today’s Guardian has an article entitled : ‘MP to call for ban on attempted murderers recovering joint assets’. The article refers to a case raised by Gloria de Piero MP in which a man who was convicted of the attempted murder of his wife is seeking £60,000 of their...