Briefing: Crib Sheet - Family court information

Is this about information sharing? No, this is about information in adifferent sense. The debate about disclosure of information has arisenbecause of the way in which cases are conducted in family courts. TheChildren Act 1989 made it a criminal offence for anyone to sharematerial that might identify a child involved in proceedings. Thisabsolute prohibition was tested recently, resulting in a judgment madeby Mr Justice Munby in March 2004.

That said what? It confirmed that the law prohibits the publication ofany information about a family court case involving a child. It meansthat parents who raise issues about a case in which their child has beeninvolved are breaking the law. They may want to talk about it to theirMP, the local social services department, an adviser, or their localsupport group, but they can't. Nor can the people they're asking to takeforward their complaint on their behalf.