Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup

• Correcting, clarifying or commenting on media reports of family court cases

• Explaining or commenting on published Judgments of family court cases

• Highlighting other transparency news

 

MEDIA (MIS)REPORTS OF FAMILY COURT CASES

The Times and other commentators – After blogging about reporting failures by the Times, we went on to analyse inaccuracy in some responses too. See Misreporting the Misreporting – That Foster Care Case Again.  (See also Press Gazette reports of 178 complaints to IPSO, and a useful run-through of the issues and reporting so far in Fostering Fall-Out at The Week In Fostering):

 

Headlines

The Guardian and BBC News at Ten – The headlines: “Social workers missed signs to save toddler stamped to death by mother” and “A serious case review says social workers failed to spot signs that she was being abused”, were questioned by an ex social worker as Lazy Journalism that Harms Social Workers, on the basis that the SCR showed failures by various agencies. See Guardian Letters:

 

The Spectator – Blog to follow on this article and it’s headline, the sinister power of Britain’s Family Courts:

 

Transparency Positives

The Telegraph – Linked readers of the story, Returning jihadis will end up in family courts Lord Chief Justice warns, to the source of the comments in the Lord Chief Justice’s report to Parliament:

 

BBC News – Linked readers of their story, Rotherham child sexual abuse: ‘No-one’s fault at council’, to the 6 reports published at Rotherham MBC and the Jay Report (via their own article):

 

The Guardian – Linked to the Serious Case Review published at Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Board from it’s story, Social workers missed signs to save toddler stamped to death by mother; and responded confidently to criticism of their choice of headline, in transparently publishing the letter from a former social worker who had read the SCR: Lazy Journalism that harms social workers (see ‘headlines’ above):

 

NEWLY PUBLISHED CASES FOR EXPLANATION OR COMMENT

Hart v Hart [2017] EWCA – The case (and the way it’s been reported) have inspired twitter comment. We will be writing on both:

 

The Public Guardian v Matrix Deputies Ltd & Anor (Rev 1) [2017] EWCOP 

 

‘Ordinary’ cases of importance from the Family Court

E & N (No. 3), Re [2017] EWFC B57 – Judgment from His Honour Judge Moradifar’s decision in the Reading Family Court, to make a Placement Order, whilst remaking that: the greatest tragedy about this case is the consistent failure of the professionals to provide for and to meet the mother’s needs as a child and a teenager. The temptation to remedy that failure in this court is all too great. The judgment is worth reading in full:

 

IN OTHER TRANSPARENCY NEWS

 

Nomination for Jordan’s Family Law Commentator of the Year Award – We’re really pleased to have been nominated.  The competition is pretty fierce, so who knows if we will win, but we are just happy to bask in the recognition of being shortlisted for now. Who gets the award will be decided by community vote. You can read more about the shortlistees and how to vote here. Good luck to everyone shortlisted. And a big big thanks to all those who contribute to The Transparency Project, and who support us, including our funders at the Legal Education Foundation.

 

Transparency in the Family Justice System – See here for the next series of public access lectures, Chaired by Professor Jo Delahunty QC at the Gresham College. Lectures include: What do Judges do in the Family Court? (30th November 2017); Vulnerable clients and the FJS (1st February 2018); Dealing with sex abuse: How does the Family Court assess risk? (1st March 2018); The Child in the Family Court: Whose Child Is It Anyway? (26th April 2018); Transparency In the Family Court – What goes on beyond closed doors? (24th May 2018):

 

Events promoting dialogue on topical social work issues – @Social Work Book Group met to discuss Blame, Culture and Child Protection by Dr Jadwiga Leigh; the HCPC have a tweet event on the new social media use guidance coming up next Tuesday; and free tickets are on sale for happy families, the conversations we’re not having about adoption in London and Bristol, by Pamela Neil, with Sarah Phillimore of Child Protection Resource (and the Transparency Project):

 

 

 

Feature pic: Courtesy of Flickr Lauri Heikkinenon via Creative Commons licence – with thanks