Layton Bevan
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A
campaigner for open justice in the family courts of England and
Wales Layton echoes the voices of senior judges, the majority of
Politicians and the Public that the curtain of secrecy is
damaging public confidence in the administration of justice. Layton was a member of Fathers4Justice in 2003 who helped force attention on the secrecy in the UK family courts. He later launched P4p in 2004 and co-founded Fassit in 2005 as well as contributing to other sites and forums in services & design. He still campaigns and supports a ten-point plan to make our family courts system fairer and safeguard it from forces which are largely unaccountable:- 1. Open family courts to the press in all but exceptional circumstances (as recommended by the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee). 2.Let any parent or carer accused of abuse call any witnesses they need in their defence. At the moment, they are routinely refused permission to do so. 3.Give automatic permission for parents who are refused legal aid to get a lay adviser to help them present their case. This is routinely refused. 4.Remove the restrictions that prevent families from talking about their case (as recommended by the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee). 5.Review the definition of “emotional abuse” across local authorities, to make sure that it cannot become a catch-all for overzealous officials. 6.Provide an automatic right for parents to receive copies of case conference notes and all evidence used against them in court, just as they would in a criminal trial. 7.Create an independent body to oversee the actions of social services, with proper sanctions. If that body is to be the General Social Care Council, make it easier for parents to go directly to that body rather than having to face delays from the local authority. 8.Let children in care waive their right to privacy if they wish to speak out. For gagging children is surely not consistent with promoting their welfare. 9.Restructure CAFCASS, the Family Court Advisory Service, from being an organisation that reports on the parents to the courts to one that actively promotes the parenting needs of children. The primary focus should cease to be assisting the court process. It should be diverting parents away from contested hearings into the making of parenting plans. 10.Review the recent legal aid cut-backs that are deterring lawyers from taking on these complex family cases. It is quite wrong that desperate parents are unable to find a lawyer to help them in their time of need. Campaigner for Open Justice in the UK Family Courts
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