Transparency in the Family Courts

"I welcome the publication of the Government's announcement on taking forward the issue of transparency in the family courts. The revised proposals will require a good deal of work in the coming months to make the necessary rule changes and in preparing for the pilots.

"I have for some time made clear the support of the Senior Judiciary for media access to the Family Courts in the interests of transparency and public confidence in the Family Justice System, provided that judicial discretion remains to exclude the media from proceedings or parts of proceedings in particular circumstances involving the welfare of the child or necessary protection for the parties.

"The judiciary has also stressed that this needs to be accompanied by measures to protect the anonymity of children in the reports of the media. The pilots will explore these issues. While there is a need for reform we need to proceed with care over the detail not least in evaluating and making allowance for the extra demands on judicial time in relation to the anonymisation process.

"The judiciary are however united in opposing the Government’s proposals to review the question whether, as previously recognised, privacy should remain the rule in respect of adoption proceedings."

Sir Mark Potter