Journalists and legal bloggers will be able to report proceedings in 16 more family courts across England, the president of the High Court family division has announced.
Sir Andrew McFarlane said the move was a “huge step” in the judiciary’s work to improve public confidence in the family justice system.
For the past year, accredited writers have been able to report proceedings in three family courts — Cardiff, Carlile and Leeds — subject to strict anonymity requirements. The pilot project is regarded as a success and will be extended at the end of this month.
McFarlane added:
We hope than in extending the pilot further we can continue to understand the impact that family court reporting has. I would like to urge the media to read the guidance and come to the family courts to see the vital and challenging work that is done there, and to report on the cases and issues that are so important.
The new courts that will be taking part in the pilot from 29 January are:
-
North West: Liverpool, Manchester
-
North East: West Yorkshire, Kingston-upon-Hull
-
Midlands: Nottingham, Stoke, Derby, Birmingham
-
London: Central Family Court, East London, West London
-
South West: Dorset, Truro
-
South East: Luton, Guildford, Milton Keynes
Journalists can already report family cases if a transparency order is granted. In courts covered by the pilot, there is a presumption that a transparency order will be made.
As so few journalists have been able to cover hearings in the family courts, training is being offered in what they will now be allowed to report.