Pilot scheme to open up family court proceedings
A PILOT scheme has started which aims to throw a light on the workings of the family court system.
Although reporters have had access to courts dealing with sensitive matters involving children for some time, despite them being closed to the public, reporting has been highly restricted to only what a judge will allow.
A pilot scheme began yesterday in Cardiff, Leeds and Carlisle which will allow accredited journalists and legal bloggers to report on cases as they unfold, as they would do in the criminal courts, as long as the identities of the families involved are not revealed.
The project officially began yesterday but the first case to be held under the new rules started last week, when a High Court judge in Leeds decided to adopt the protocols at the beginning of an 11-week-long hearing rather than bring them in part-way through the proceedings.
Despite this, very few details of the case can be reported at this stage, until the conclusion of any criminal proceedings arising out of the matters being considered during the hearing.
At the start of the hearing last week, Mr Justice Poole allowed the reporting of certain details, including that this is a finding-of-fact hearing involving three families and allegations of fabricated or induced illness.
Under the current law, journalists and legally qualified bloggers can attend hearings in family courts, which are closed to the public, but can only report details of what happens if the judge allows it.
In the pilot courts, the starting point will be that accredited journalists and legal bloggers can report on hearings, subject to strict reporting restrictions to protect the anonymity of the families involved.
Cases where journalists and bloggers attend will be covered by a Transparency Order, setting out what can and can’t be reported, and reporters will be able to access some basic case documents. Families will also be able to talk to a journalist about their case, without risking punishment for contempt of court.