Family Court reporting provisions extended to all family courts in England and Wales
On Monday 27th January, the Reporting Provisions came into effect as above. This follows the Transparency Pilot and the Transparency Review, which started in January 2023.
It means that, from 27th January, there is a presumption in favour of allowing reporting of proceedings in the Family Court, unless there is a legitimate reason for not doing so; the anonymity of the child and the family is still protected.
As noted at the Bond Solon Expert Witness Conference in 2024, the names of all professional, including the expert witnesses, can be reported.
The principle underpinning this development is that of open justice – ensuring that there is public accountability in the operation and decisions of the Family court.