Law and Rights
In late November, Mr Justice Coleridge addressed the Association of Lawyers for Children at their 21st Annual Conference. His speech may be read here and Coleridge J stated that he was expressing his own views though he added that some other judges agreed with him. It is not the first time that Coleridge J has been outspoken about the effects of family breakdown - see BBC 5th April 2008. He expressed views about maintaining the authority of the family courts; about "suspended residence orders" which he "invented" and which have since received Court of Appeal approval; and about the need to enforce court orders which he illustrated by talking about contact disputes between parents.
- Some Recent Decisions In The Family Court
Since the creation (on 22nd April - see post of 24th April) of the new Family Court for England and Wales, cases are being reported by Bailii under the headings of- England and Wales Family Court Decisions (other Judges)England and Wales Family Court...
- Changes To The Courts In April 2014 And A Glance At The Children And Family Act 2014
In April 2014, under the Crime and Courts Act 2013, important changes occur to the courts of England and Wales. There will be a single County Court for England and Wales and also a new Family Court. A good summary of the changes to the County...
- Child Care Proceedings ~ Hearing The Views Of The Child
P-S (Children)(Care Proceedings: Evidence) [2013] EWCA Civ 223 is an interesting case - Full judgment and ICLR Report. It concerned care proceedings in which a 15 year old child (M) wished to attend court to give evidence in support of his...
- Family Law: Contact Orders - A Case Raising Novel Issues
The 500th Post on this Blog When the significant adults in a child's life are in conflict, the child can suffer emotional harm. Disputes arise about matters such as where a child shall live ("residence") or whether the child should have contact...
- Children And The Courts ....review By The Government
"The court therefore grants an interim care order to the local authority in respect of ...(child) ..." Those words are the nuclear option in child care cases. They often mean removal of the child from the family to foster carers of the local...
Law and Rights
Speech by Coleridge J - "Let's hear it for the child ...."
In late November, Mr Justice Coleridge addressed the Association of Lawyers for Children at their 21st Annual Conference. His speech may be read here and Coleridge J stated that he was expressing his own views though he added that some other judges agreed with him. It is not the first time that Coleridge J has been outspoken about the effects of family breakdown - see BBC 5th April 2008. He expressed views about maintaining the authority of the family courts; about "suspended residence orders" which he "invented" and which have since received Court of Appeal approval; and about the need to enforce court orders which he illustrated by talking about contact disputes between parents.
On the enforcement of contact orders see Re L-W (children) [2010] EWCA Civ 1253 - judgment of Munby LJ. The final words of Sedley LJ are pertinent - "The law does its best in the absence of other means, and modern legislation has done what it can to make the law's own means practical and fair; but the law is not omnicompetent, perhaps most of all when, equipped only with its received or inherent powers, it is called on to intervene in the subtle and unpredictable business of child care and human relations."
Family Justice Review - see Ministry of Justice
Family Justice Review - see Ministry of Justice
- Some Recent Decisions In The Family Court
Since the creation (on 22nd April - see post of 24th April) of the new Family Court for England and Wales, cases are being reported by Bailii under the headings of- England and Wales Family Court Decisions (other Judges)England and Wales Family Court...
- Changes To The Courts In April 2014 And A Glance At The Children And Family Act 2014
In April 2014, under the Crime and Courts Act 2013, important changes occur to the courts of England and Wales. There will be a single County Court for England and Wales and also a new Family Court. A good summary of the changes to the County...
- Child Care Proceedings ~ Hearing The Views Of The Child
P-S (Children)(Care Proceedings: Evidence) [2013] EWCA Civ 223 is an interesting case - Full judgment and ICLR Report. It concerned care proceedings in which a 15 year old child (M) wished to attend court to give evidence in support of his...
- Family Law: Contact Orders - A Case Raising Novel Issues
The 500th Post on this Blog When the significant adults in a child's life are in conflict, the child can suffer emotional harm. Disputes arise about matters such as where a child shall live ("residence") or whether the child should have contact...
- Children And The Courts ....review By The Government
"The court therefore grants an interim care order to the local authority in respect of ...(child) ..." Those words are the nuclear option in child care cases. They often mean removal of the child from the family to foster carers of the local...