This is a post by Conference on Coercive Control, an individual who wishes to remain anonymous. I am grateful for the time they have taken to write this post, in an attempt to move forward the debate about the family justice system to a more constructive arena. There are things we can do to improve matters; we should […]
What can I do? it will depend at what stage of the proceedings you have reached and what orders have already been made. A child can only be adopted when three orders have been made – a care order, a placement order and finally, an adoption order. Care and placement orders are usually made at the […]
In care proceedings children are represented by a solicitor and a guardian – this is called the ‘tandem model’ of representation. The solicitor may also instruct a barrister for certain court hearings. The child’s solicitor takes instructions from the guardian about what to do in the child’s best interests, unless the child can show that […]
What does this mean? And why is it important? to protect individuals against arbitrary interference by public authorities The European Convention and the Human Rights Act 1998 ‘Proportionality’ is the key concept to understanding how family law operates. This comes from Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR). […]
What can I talk about? Who can I talk to? ‘I am determined to take steps to improve access to and reporting of family proceedings. I am determined that the new Family Court should not be saddled, as the family courts are at present, with the charge that we are a system of secret and […]
Is this becoming the norm? And if so, what are the consequences? What is the impact of this practice on the working relationship between parents and social workers? Is this a good thing or do you find it concerning? You may also be interested in this blog post by suesspiciousminds on the subject. Section […]
All parents in care proceedings should qualify for non means and non merits tested public funding i.e. the State will pay the costs of your solicitor or barrister. Other people who want to be involved in care proceedings, such as grandparents or step parents may not get any public funding. What happens if the […]
Here we look at the concept of ‘forced adoption’ I am a passionate believer in the value of adoption in appropriate circumstances… But I fear that, in making all those orders, I never gave much attention to the emotional repercussions of them. In particular I fear that I failed fully to appreciate that an adoption […]