MPs, agony aunts and journalists to meet over family justice system

Campaigining MPs to highlight continued concerns over family justice system

A group of MPs, led by John Hemming, has organised a meeting at the House of Commons with a group of journalists and media agony aunts to discuss the care system and family courts. Those involved include Camilla Cavendish of The Times, Sue Reid of the Daily Mail, Kate Hilpern who works for the Guardian and Independent and Denise Roberston, Agony Aunt on This Morning. They will be discussing a series of proposals including

• Allowing social workers more time to see children and families and less time in front of computers
• Continue progress towards transparency in the family courts
• Allowing parents to have a second opinion
• Providing public support for appeals and contesting care orders
• Providing some public support for Mackenzie Friends
• Expert evidence should only come from regulated professionals
• All hearings should have anonymous judgments
• Clayton v Clayton should not be reversed
• Serious Case Review chairs should be independent and appointed independently
• National guidance is needed to define what "risk of significant harm" means

The meeting will take place on 25 February 2009.

• Keywords:
• family justice system

Comments: 1

• If the proposed changes for family fees in 2010 are introduced by the Ministry of Justice/ LSC, the liklehood is that there will be no effective system for parents and children to be properly represented and therefore many of the laudable issues to be discussed at the meeting will be purely academic.
  Christopher Rice. Barrister
  Christopher Rice 24/02/2009 16:00:24

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