Transparency and Open Reporting
What does it mean for you and your children?
Contributed by Lucy Reed KC
If you or your family are involved with the family court (in England and Wales) you may have heard about ‘transparency’ and changes to the rules around privacy and reporting of family court cases by journalists.
Here’s a summary of the rules, how they have changed recently, and what they might mean for you and your children. This isn’t legal advice and what is and isn’t allowed, in reporting terms, will change depending on the type of case and the individual arrangements the court has put in place for each individual family. So, it’s really important to check the specific rules and orders which apply to your case before sharing any information. If you are in any doubt please check with your lawyer, or if you don’t have one check with the judge.
Confidentiality and privacy are separate legal matters not covered here. If in any doubt, get legal advice.
The main focus of this summary is children law cases (not financial cases).
Ten things to know about open reporting of private cases
Where can I find out more?
If you would like to read more about transparency and open reporting please visit www.transparencyproject.org.uk. The Transparency Project carries out a limited amount of legal blogging. It does not employ journalists or refer to journalists. There is a dedicated legal blogging page on the Project’s website, which tells you how The Transparency Project approaches its legal blogging work.