Lost opportunities: law reform and transparency in the family courts [2010] CFLQ 273

One of the most important questions confronting the family justice system over recent years is the extent to which the family courts should be opened up to the outside world - an issue of ‘transparency'. This article commences by discussing the confusion in the existing law restricting publication of material relating to family proceedings. It proceeds to trace the history of the controversial measures introduced by Part 2 of the Children, Schools and Families Act 2010. It concludes by questioning whether the new legislation fulfils the Government's ambition to increase the amount and quality of information coming from the courts.