Keeping justice accessible - remote hearings in the family court
Last month, a webinar was produced looking at effective safeguards recommended to ensure the use of remote hearings in family courts maintain access to justice.
The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) aims to improve the lives of children and families by putting data and evidence at the heart of the family justice system, recognising change is needed.
As part of the task to help children and families ‘thrive in the future’ the NFJO have explored experiences of family court remote hearings.
As part of this, they have produced a series of webinars with the Judicial College exploring the impact of COVID-19 on family justice in the family court system. Feedback was sought from family court users including legal professionals, judges, magistrates, barristers, family solicitors, Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) advisers, court staff and social workers about remote hearings in the family court. Through these rapid consultations examined the use of remote hearings in the family sector. Court-based hearings during lockdown only being contemplated ‘in exceptional circumstances where the interests of justice and fairness require one, and where it is safe to do so’.
You can view the webinar on the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory website.