Family courts 'to be more open'


Family courts 'to be more open' Includes an video interview with Fassit Member. Source: BBC The plans would allow more transparency in court proceedings. The government is expected to announce proposals that would overhaul family courts in England and Wales to make them more open and accountable. Ministers say that the current privacy surrounding family court cases makes it hard to combat bias and discrimination. Under the plans, the media would get greater access to hearings and children would be entitled to more information on their case when they become adults. But the anonymity of families would remain protected. Around 400,000 cases are heard in family courts every year in England and Wales but almost all of the proceedings take place in private. Under the government's proposals, the media would be allowed to attend hearings. Currently they need special permission and reporting is extremely restricted. Family details would still remain anonymous and ordinarily there would be no access for members of the public. However, Constitutional Affairs minister Harriet Harman told a press briefing that individuals might be admitted to the court at the discretion of the judge. It was also proposed that MPs, local councillors and court inspectors would be allowed to attend hearings to see the system was working. The Department for Constitutional Affairs said in its consultation paper that Parliament often made family laws "in the dark" without a clear idea of how the family justice system worked or of the eventual impact of the laws. 'Life-long implications' Ms Harman earlier told Radio 4's Today programme: "A measure of accountability improves the decision making in any institution and the harder the decision is, the more important that there is public confidence. "And the judgements that are being made are of huge importance and can have life-long implications. "If you make a right decision to take a child into care you can save that child's life, but a miscarriage of justice in the family court is no less a miscarriage of justice than a life sentence." She said strict conditions would apply to media reporting. This should include a "new clear provision" that it would be a criminal offence to breach the anonymity of the children or parents involved in the proceedings. "Indeed, the public can't value a system if they don't really know what's going on," she added. Among the proposals, the government is also expected to consult on improving the information available to children involved, so that when they turn 18 they can better understand how decisions about their care were made. The government's consultation, which will include getting the views of the media and the public, will continue until the end of October. The new open regime is expected to be first introduced in the High Court Family Division.
Go Back