Children Now understands that letting the public attend hearings is oneof several options ministers are thinking of including in a consultationpaper on making the family courts more transparent. Another plan beingconsidered is the easing of restrictions on media reports about familycourt proceedings, although judges will be able to limit what isreported.
The consultation is currently undergoing a last-minute reworking orderedafter constitutional affairs minister Harriet Harman was given controlof the family court system. Harman took charge after a reshuffle ofministerial responsibilities following the cash-for-peeragesscandal.
A Department for Constitutional Affairs spokeswoman told Children Now:"The consultation will be published fairly soon. It is there to expandthe transparency of the family courts without compromising the centralissue of protecting the child."
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