Judge believes blameless parents and sends baby home

by Lucy R | Dec 7, 2019 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

His Honour Judge Dancey has published a judgment in which he explains why he has decided that social services have failed to prove that either parent caused a skull fracture sustained by their baby, with the result that the baby is going home. The judge decided that...

‘Do Separating Parents Need the Family Court?’ – the annual Family Justice Council debate

by Alice T | Dec 6, 2019 | Analysis, Explanation, FCReportingWatch, Transparency News

Transparency Project members have attended the annual debates arranged by the Family Justice Council* for a few years now, to report back for those unable to attend. The FJC have shown willing to tackle some of the most challenging topics for family law in the...

Court of Appeal gives guidance on Secure Accommodation Orders

by Julie D | Nov 29, 2019 | Analysis, Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

A Local Authority v B’s mother; B’s father; B’s stepfather; and B (through her Cafcass guardian); the Association of Lawyers for Children (intervening) [2019] EWCA Civ 2025 The local authority was applying for a secure accommodation order in respect of B (aged 15). B...

How does the family court treat domestic abuse: A ‘snapshot’ continued: Part 8

by Sophie Smith Holland | Nov 28, 2019 | Cases, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

This is a post from Sophie Smith-Holland, who tweets as @SSmithHolland. The question of how the family court deals with domestic abuse has had a huge amount of public and media attention recently. Concerns have been raised that the system is placing children...

A new case on the ‘shaken baby’ problem

by Julie D | Oct 20, 2019 | Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

TP and TS [2019] EWHC B51 concerns baby twins who had been born prematurely at 31 weeks and who subsequently experienced serious physical trauma that may have been attributable to their parents. The good news is that the court has arrived at a conclusion that the...

‘The problems are huge’: teenagers in care living in caravan parks

by Julie D | Oct 11, 2019 | Cases, Comment, Explanation, FCReportingWatch

HHJ Dancey explains at the outset of this case, Dorset Council v A (Residential Placement: Lack of Resources) [2019] EWFC 62 that he has spoken to A, aged 15, about his intention to ‘tell her story’ and that he is writing the judgment with her and her...