An unusual appeal judgment was published earlier this month – a successful appeal by a Cafcass guardian against a court order that she arrange and supervise contact sessions between a child and the father. The judge had put the guardian in the... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30906

In what we think may be a first, the judgment in a recent fact-finding case was handed down with two additional versions, generated with artificial intelligence software, one in simplified language, the other in bullet points and emoji. These... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30966

Here is our analysis - transparencyproject.org.uk/censorship-b...

The Good Law Project reported last month that Meta (the company that owns Instagram and Facebook) removed a post about their campaign supporting Liv Nervo - Liv Nervo told her story – but Meta took it down (8 April). The original proceedings were... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30916

Family Court judge HHJ Hesford in Chester added Judicial Copilot versions of the judgment for the parents and their intermediary

Dylan* was taken away from his mother by the family courts, without warning, when he was nine years old A court-appointed expert decided his mum had turned her children against their father – dismissing her allegations of abuse in the process *Name changed 📸 Damien McFadden/Daily Mail

reporting on an IRH that turned into a final hearing because the judge decided the issues had been narrowed, especially as the child was expressing his views clearly and further delay wasn't necessary

This is my first case of legal blogging where I’ve heard anything about the child’s views being sought on my attendance and reporting of the proceedings. Last month, I went to a hearing in care proceedings at Gloucester Family Court (which takes... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30846

In depth: LAA cyber-attack - a year on | Law Gazette share.google/XCWxjKoFxjTR...

On 1st May, we wrote about a report in the local Dorset press that we said inaccurately described a judgment in Bournemouth Family Court as being an order for 'no contact' between a child and his mother. There have been a few developments since we... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30861

www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/litigan... litigant in family court proceedings blames barristers for delay

How the MoD tried to cover up domestic abuse by a Special Forces soldier

This headline appeared in The Observer on 3 May. The sub headline says: A member of the armed forces who terrorised his wife has been allowed unsupervised access to their daughter – in a case that British military authorities tried to keep out of... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30832

Family Court Reporting Watch - monthly Roundup for April

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, TRANSPARENCY etc The Law... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30804

Staff at Pentonville prison wrongly failed to detain a man who had carried out a “brutal abduction of a young boy from his mother”, the High Court said on Friday. Keeping the father in custody had been perhaps the only hope for reunification of mother and son. rozenberg.substack.com/p/child-abdu...

our complaint to @ipso.co.uk about local press reporting of a mythical 'no contact with mother' order

why a court can't undo an adoption order

Between 5 and 7 April, a story was published on three associated local news sites in Dorset with the headline ‘Dorset court rules mother should have no contact with child’. The articles said that a judge in Bournemouth Family Court had made an... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30796

The Supreme Court judgment in Re X and Y (Children: Adoption Order: Setting Aside) [2026] UKSC 13 was published on 22 April. We had watched the hearing and we wrote about it in this post on 20 February - Undoing an adoption order: an update. We don't... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30787

a lovely tribute to Giles Peaker @nearlylegal.co.uk amidst the literally hundreds this week. Interestingly @colinyeo.bsky.social traces the development of legal blogs that have helped so many people. Nice to see a mention for family law blogging @familoo.pinktape.co.uk

legal blogging at Gloucester Family Court this lovely sunny day. The security there is extraordinary! quite the strictest I've experienced altho staff all nice and usher especially kind & helpful

Supreme Court confirms that a validly made adoption order can't be set aside. In the matter of X and Y (Children: Adoption Order: Setting Aside) - UK Supreme Court share.google/0Jm9pWrPmZc5...

BBC News - Rogue sperm donor who says he's fathered 180 children won't be on child's birth certificate www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... excellent family court reporting by @gemmadunstan.bsky.social who has been following these cases for years

Just watched a Cafcass officer repeatedly insist that a child being taken from their mum without warning & barred from seeing her for months, is not “traumatic” but merely “puzzling and confusing”. Child was placed with their dad, whom they said had physically mistreated them.

‘It’s soul-destroying’: struggle to house vulnerable children can leave breaking law as only option www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

www.theguardian.com/society/2026... we wrote about this case here When ‘transparency’ orders create opacity | The Transparency Project share.google/wJDWW9ZlVMdX...

how easy is it really to get a non-mol if you're a 'fake' DV victim?

re the BBC story on 'fake' DV victims -

powerful messages here from a child who felt continually let down by the family justice system

confused by all the talk of removing parental rights from abusive fathers? We explain the new laws and what will change (and possibly when) in this new post

You’ll often see this topic described as ‘stripping’ or ‘removing' an abusive father’s parental rights but parental responsibility (PR) can’t often simply be taken away – although where the circumstances justify it, PR can be restricted... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30736

Parallel family and criminal court proceedings 'confusing for parties', judge notes www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/paralle... #FamilyLaw

news about the expansion of Child Focused Courts (formerly Pathfinder) in this farewell View by 'top family judge' Sir Andrew McFarlane

The most senior judge in family courts is the President of the Family Division and Court of Protection, inevitably known in the media as 'top family judge'. Shortly after Sir James Munby was appointed President, from April 2014, he began an innovative... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30728

our Roundup of March family court & transparency news is out

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, TRANSPARENCY etc The Sunday... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30681

we have responded with a letter to the Guardian -

On 30 March, The Guardian published this editorial: 'The Guardian view on family justice: transparency should help a flawed system to improve. Increased openness is a change for the better. But cuts have made the courts’ work far harder' We have... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30684

This happens all to often with legal decisions in England and Wales. Some need to realise that summarising and explaining a legal decisions is not endorsing them. Equally, a legal decision is not an endorsement of the policy behind it. The Supreme Court’s role is to interpret the law, not policy

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... editorial in today's Guardian. But are they sending reporters into court?

BBC News - Child focus is biggest change to family courts in 30 years, senior judge says www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is an update on the post we wrote on 18 March about family court and defamation proceedings relating to a high profile couple, Professor James Tooley and Ms Cynthia Tooley/Stroud MBE. Two new judgments in Ms Tooley’s defamation case have been... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30663

Earlier this week, the Court of Appeal heard an argument that the Open Justice Principle does not apply to the Court of Protection (CoP) and that an 'urban myth' had wrongly grown that any attempt to restrict public access to CoP proceedings was 'a... https://transparencyproject.org.uk/?p=30649

the appeal is brought by a family & the OS against a decision by Poole J to order docs be provided to @kitzingercelia.bsky.social who is an intervener in the case. There are 195 people watching online!

we are watching the Court of Appeal today. Important case on open justice in the Court of Protection. So far, interesting points made on how much better the rules are in Family Court. CoP hearings are held in public but can observers be sent documents with highly personal info. in them?