Family Court review on transparency and openness
Sir McFarlane, the President of the Family Division (head of family court service) discussed a move towards greater transparency in family courts.
Sir McFarlane itemised ‘a major shift in culture,’ calling for greater scope for reporting allowed by the media into court hearings. The idea is to increase public confidence and have an educative role, to increase public knowledge as to the work the family court does.
The highest priority as always remains the safety and protection of families and children.
The reaction ranged from optimism and welcome to caution and concern, including delays facing families and children waiting court outcomes. There is much discussion about changes to family court processes to make the system more sustainable and efficient. This has included making what is currently known as “alternative dispute resolution” (arbitration, hybrid family mediation and family mediation) the first stop for most private family law disputes, where this is safe and appropriate to do so.