Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup

by reporting watch team | Jul 1, 2024 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging, Transparency News

Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family law, explain and comment on published family court judgments, and highlight other transparency news.  MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW MATTERS The Independent (2 June 2024)...

Controversial Suspected Inflicted Head Injuries pilot launched: Lawyers raise concern about lack of consultation and potential unfairness

by reporting watch team | Jun 27, 2024 | FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging, Transparency News

When a child suffers a head injury which medical professionals suspect may be inflicted, safeguarding processes are triggered, often leading to care proceedings and the removal of the child from the care of their parents, usuall y for many months and sometimes...

The tricky task of making a Child Arrangements Order: directive or undefined? (and how to seek clarification from the judge?)

by Guest Post | Jun 26, 2024 | Analysis, Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

This is a post by Rebecca Wright. Rebecca is a barrister at Garden Court North. Be warned: Mr Justice Poole has made clear that an undefined provision in a child arrangements order, directing the parents to sort out holiday contact between them, can be successfully...

A complex step-parent adoption hearing

by Julie Doughty | Jun 13, 2024 | Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging

As we wrote about here, the Government announced in April: ‘Child rapists to automatically have parental responsibility stripped: Vile abusers who rape a child will have their own parental responsibilities automatically removed under new laws.’ However, this...

Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup

by reporting watch team | Jun 7, 2024 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Transparency News

Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family law, explain and comment on published family court judgments, and highlight other transparency news.  MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW MATTERS The Standard (12 May 2024)...

Written Advocacy – who is it for?

by Guest Post | May 30, 2024 | Cases, Comment, FCReportingWatch, Trends

This post is a guest post by Anna Yarde. Anna is a children barrister at Harcourt Chambers. This commentary is intended for lawyers to read and for lay parties to benefit from. A Guide for Lawyers – Improving Transparency in the Family Court Written Advocacy –...

Are cases getting ‘smaller’? – an update

by Julie Doughty | May 9, 2024 | Analysis, Cases, FCReportingWatch

In March, we wrote about some recent cases in which Mrs Justice Lieven in the High Court had talked about the need to ‘make cases smaller’ since the relaunch of the PLO (Public Law Outline) in January 2023. One of these judgments, West Northamptonshire Council (acting...

Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup

by reporting watch team | May 8, 2024 | Cases, FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging, Transparency News

Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family court cases, explain and comment on published family court judgments and highlight other transparency news.  MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW MATTERS The Times (£), The...

Transparency & Open Justice Board announced

by Paul M | May 5, 2024 | Comment, Transparency News

Giving the keynote speech at the Society of Editors 25th anniversary conference on 30 April 2024 the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr of Walton-On-The-Hill, announced the establishment of a new Transparency and Open Justice Board, to be chaired by Mr Justice...

My first daytrip to the Magistrates Court

by Lucy R | May 5, 2024 | FCReportingWatch, Legal blogging, Reporting Pilot

Introduction – the context Since last November it has been possible, in a small number of family courts, for reporters to attend hearings before magistrates in the knowledge that it will most likely be possible to write about what has taken place after the hearing...