We've noticed some new followers so wanted to share some information about how we work at Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. Read more here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/about

NEW SEEDING CHANGE STORY - ON OUR WEBSITE NOW Read the full story: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/story/reduci...

NEW STORY COMING SOON In our latest Seeding Change article we will be looking at how HOPE Boxes are reducing trauma and maintaining connections when newborn babies and their mothers are separated The story will be available to read on our website soon

Our new briefing paper 'Residential family assessment centres: Data trends and questions' examines the patterns around the increasing number of new registrations of residential family assessment centres across the country. Read more here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/res...

NEW BRIEFING PAPER - AVAILABLE NOW 'Residential family assessment centres: Data trends and questions' Read and download the paper here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/res...

This new briefing paper will be available to read and download in full on our website very soon. We will also be sharing highlights from the paper across our Bluesky and LinkedIn.

In the UK, 93% of 16-year-olds stay at home with their families. They can’t vote, drive, or get a credit card, so it’s little surprise they’re not ready to live independently. In this article Lisa Harker explores how it’s a very different story for children in the care system - ow.ly/kvLO50WntBK

1/2 Earlier this year, the President of the Family Division, the Rt. Hon. Andrew McFarlane published a toolkit for judges to help them in writing to the children involved in the cases before them. www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u...

1/2 Gaps in data and a lack of a joined up plan to improve data collection is leading to a "data desert" that seriously impedes improvements to services in the family justice system, according to this article from Law Gazette. www.lawgazette.co.uk/news-focus/i...

Good data is a vital part of a just and effective family justice system. In any organisation, the choices about what is measured reflect priorities; in Lord Darzi’s words, ‘What gets measured, get managed’. Read more from this newly published report : www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/chi...

NEW PAPER Good data is a vital part of a just and effective family justice system. Reliable, meaningful data not only enables people to track progress against aims and objectives but also brings transparency to how the system operates. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/chi...

1/2 This blog post from Lucy Reid highlights the importance of child participation in court proceedings, giving an example of a case where the children felt heard and understood: transparencyproject.org.uk/if-i-had-to-...

1/3 Today, the MoJ released the latest figures on the applications for the number of children subject to deprive them of their liberty under the inherent jurisdiction of the high court, through their Family Court Statistics Quarterly release. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/data-re...

C/W: suicide. According to the Ministry of Justice, 1,280 children were subject to deprivation of liberty orders in 2024 in England & Wales. Lisa Harker, @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social, joins Will Hutton to explore what potential alternative approaches could look like. podfollow.com/the-we-socie...

NEW REPORT COMING SOON We will be publishing this new report very soon and will announce the publication on our LinkedIn and Bluesky. Keep an eye out for more.

Nuffield Family Justice Observatory Director Lisa Harker appeared on the We Society podcast from Academy of Social Sciences speaking to host Will Hutton about the groundbreaking work that NFJO has undertaken on children on deprivation of liberty orders. Listen online here: lnkd.in/dChS7DiG

What do you think about some of the questions posed by our updated report 'Recurrent care proceedings: five key areas for reflection from the research'? www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/rec... Share your thoughts below.

This new report updates the 2021 edition and gives five key areas for reflection. We also examine effective ways of working. Read more from the report on our website now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/rec...

This spotlight paper will update the 2021 edition, notably including findings from two recent studies that have linked Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru data with health data. We will be posting further updates when this report is available on our website.

Our brand new Data Tracker brings our data and research together into one easy-to-use dashboard. We will be continuously adding new data to the tracker – if there is information you would like to see on our new dashboard, please message us www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

Be the first to read our latest data and research on newborn babies, and find out about upcoming events, by signing up for our bulletin. Sign up and read previous bulletins on our website here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/project/newb...

Read more from our recent report: 'Newborn babies in urgent care proceedings in England and Wales: An update' on our website now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/new...

This paper analyses the number of newborn babies in care proceedings in England and Wales and the use of initial hearings that are held at short notice. For the first time, we are also able to report on the ethnicity of babies in care proceedings in England. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/new...

1/2 We welcome the production of this film by Family Rights Group, in collaboration with Speakup Rotherham, which is a vital resource for parents with learning disabilities or difficulties and clearly and accessibly explains what they can expect.

The rise & rise of Deprivation of Liberty orders for children. Over 100% growth in 6 years, largely under the radar. Over half of DoLs are for > 6 months. Vital that @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social @nuffieldfoundation.org shines a bright light on this & works with the sector to bring about change.

We're here in Birmingham today for 'Back to Their Futures Summit Transforming care for children subject to Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders' It's fantastic to see so many professionals here today from all across the family justice system. We can make a difference, together.

Today we're in Birmingham for our 'Back To Their Futures Summit: Transforming Care for children subject to deprivation of liberty (DoL) orders'. What do children on DoL orders need? These principles of care were created alongside a team of experts: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/pri...

1/2 It's great to see that the first evaluation of the private law pathfinder programme has been published: This article from the BBC explains the outcomes of the pilot scheme: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

To all those who have registered for our upcoming summit 'Back To Their Futures: Transforming care for children subject to Deprivation of Liberty (DoLs) orders ' we're really looking forward to seeing you on April 1st. Please feel free to message us any questions, thoughts and ideas.

We are very pleased to announce two new members of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory team. Dr Ellie Ott (pictured right) joins us as Associate Director of Research and Data Molly Corlett (pictured left) joins us Project Officer for Children, Families and Justice

Our brand new Data Tracker brings our data and research together into one easy-to-use dashboard. Explore the Data Tracker here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

Keep an eye on our social media, especially Bluesky and LinkedIn, for this new report, being published soon

Spaces are filling up for our summit but there's still some time to register. If you're already attending, please feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and ideas with us ahead of the 1st April. Find out more and register: shorturl.at/RKARg

We've been so pleased to see people sharing the new toolkit for judges writing to children, which was published last month by the President of the Family Division. In this short clip, a young person explains what a letter from a judge would have meant to them. www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and...

In the latest installment of our Seeding Change series, we take a look at a pre-birth, multi-agency service in Swansea that offers expectant parents at risk of care proceedings with their unborn babies holistic, compassionate support early in pregnancy. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/story/a-pre-...

NEW SEEDING CHANGE STORY Read the latest installment in our Seeding Change series, which gathers examples of positive experiences and innovative practice from across the family justice system. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/story/a-pre-...

At this important summit, significant and crucial steps towards improving care for children experiencing and living in complex circumstances will be taken. We invite you to pre-register today: shorturl.at/VAk7i

"The evidence shows that there is a need for renewed efforts by everyone involved to address how mothers and babies are cared for." For CYP Now, NFJO Director Lisa Harker explains some of the findings catalysing an important new report to be published soon: www.cypnow.co.uk/content/view...

1/2 The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has today published a toolkit for family judges to support them in writing to children. www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and...

Are you looking to transform care for children with complex needs, including those who are being deprived of their liberty? The Back to Their Futures Summit: Transforming care for children subject to Deprivation of Liberty orders is for you. We invite you to pre register here: shorturl.at/ko0lt

Despite the importance of children’s participation, evidence suggests that nearly half of the children involved in private law proceedings have no opportunity to be heard. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/the...

1/4 This important new research from the National Centre for Social Research pulls together administrative data from the four UK nations for the first time and the combined data reveals insights into the care experiences of children. natcen.ac.uk/news/new-rep...

1/2 Why is child participation important in court proceedings? Research has shown that there are benefits to children being involved in proceedings that may have significant and long lasting impacts on their lives and their futures. Read more: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/chi...

Are you looking to transform care for children with complex needs, including those who are being deprived of their liberty? If so, the Back to Their Futures Summit: Transforming care for children subject to Deprivation of Liberty orders is for you. Pre register here: shorturl.at/VAk7i

1/2 Great to see coverage of the expansion of the Pathfinder pilot to a further 2 sites. This model is rooted in evidence relating to families’ experiences of private law proceedings and aims to provide a problem solving approach centred on the voice of the child. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Our most recent Seeding Change story looked at how an expert team are treating unaccompanied asylum seeking children with empathy, an approach that is vital for children all across the family justice system and that should be the norm www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/story/priori...

NEW SEEDING CHANGE STORY In this installment of our Seeding Change series we hear from the expert team at West Sussex about how they approach unaccompanied asylum seeking children with empathy and care www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/story/priori...

1/6 We recently published a new spotlight report highlighting the high proportion of parents with learning disabilities and difficulties in care proceedings and the issues often faced by these parents: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/wha...

NEW STORY COMING SOON Later this week we will be publishing our latest story in our Seeding Change series. Keep an eye on our social media for further updates.

“Mums, midwives, solicitors, barristers and judges are all telling us the way we do this is ­inhumane. It is no way to provide ­justice. Everyone agrees, but it still keeps happening.” - Lisa Harker, Director, NFJO Read more from @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/society/2025...