Children’s voices, their experiences and their realities should never be ignored. The issue of perpetrators of abuse using the concept of Parental Alienation is one of the most toxic developments in family law and a significant barrier to children’s real experiences and voices being acknowledge. The concept stems from the theory of “parental alienation syndrome” […]

The Home Office has published statutory guidance supporting the implementation of the Domestic Abuse Act’s wide-ranging statutory definition of domestic abuse and providing guidance to those working with victims, including the police and local authorities. The statutory definition introduced in the Act incorporates a range of abuse beyond physical violence, including controlling or coercive behavior; […]

Cafcass was set up in 2001 to be the voice of children in family court cases, and to look after their welfare. It employs mainly experienced social workers as “family court advisers” who advise judges in most cases where there are disputes about children, provide advice and support to help the family court and families […]

On 6 April 2022, no fault divorce was introduced in England and Wales. No fault divorce allows couples to bring to an end their marriage or civil partnership without having to blame “or fault” each other for the breakdown of their relationship and marriage. It also removes the possibility of one spouse contesting the divorce, […]

Sir Andrew McFarlane, the president of the Family Division of the High Court and the most senior family court judge in England and Wales has stated that everyone working in “family justice” is currently operating at the “extent of their capacity”. He has outlined that a significant number of agencies and law firms have had […]

8th March 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD) has its origins in the US. In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and voting rights. Spurred by the demonstrations, the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Woman’s Day, which was observed in the US on 28 February. […]

“My ex used the justice system as a form of coercive control – the law should not aid the abuse of women” I have composed a number of articles within my blog addressing the issues of attendance at the family courts or indeed during on line hearings for women who have/are experiencing domestic abuse and […]

Journey through the family courts A journey is something all humans experience. We will all go on many journeys: emotionally and physically. Journeys that take us to mountain summits, down a woodland track, through a vibrant gorge or along a rock pool filled beach. Journeys take us on a voyage of discovery, a dead end […]

The practice of remote hearings in the family court can and does challenge the features of fairness and empathy. There is more to a successful hearing than providing administrative and practical IT support to participants and particularly to Litigants in Person.  Many parents are taking part in hearings remotely on their own and from their […]

I am a great fan of the Transparency Project and keep up to date with their news and blogs. This week I intended to create a blog on the subject of “Empathy in relation to Remote Hearings” – but I was struck by the information provided by the Transparency Project in their blog regarding HMCTS […]