Keeping family courts safe in a post COVID-19 world
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has confirmed plans to add portable toilets and waiting rooms to some existing court buildings in order to increase capacity.
This is an attempt to deal with the immense backlog of court cases, including family law cases, generated by enforced lockdown. This unfortunately added to the backlog of cases waiting to be heard as demand on court time exceeded that available.
It is hoped that the additonal room will provide more space for keeping to social distancing regulations whilst at court. Many court buildings are outdated and difficult to keep clean, as well as making social distancing hard.
Although some family law cases are being heard remotely or using hybrid courtrooms (having a mixture of court attendees in person and remotely using video-conferencing software), hearing a case remotely is not suitable for all instances. This idea may reassure and bring an enhanced degree of safety to court users.