Another plain English document from the Department for ConstitutionalAffairs? It's a clearly written paper about a very complex subject. Itdoes the paper a disservice to portray it as a reaction to stunt dadsdressed as Batman, or a knee-jerk response to the cases of AngelaCannings and Sally Clark, who had convictions for murdering theirchildren quashed when the factual accuracy of the expert evidencepresented was questioned on appeal.
If it's not about aggrieved parents, what is it about? Publicscrutiny.
The number of people directly or indirectly affected by family courtdecisions is higher than ever before. Family courts don't just deal withdivorce and custody, or separation and contact; they deal with thepublic-law cases in which decisions have to be made about a child beingtaken into care, or placed for adoption. These are emotional events andof course most of the proceedings are held in private. As the paperstates: "The current operation of the family courts attracts criticismto the family justice system as a whole, and lays it open to accusationsof bias and injustice which cannot be satisfactorily refuted."
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