The shroud of secrecy shrouding the UK Family Court System needs to be lifted, so the great British public can see, why children are being returned, or forced contact with their abusers. In most instances, even after disclosing the abuse suffered to, Police, Social Services, Court Guardians, Cafcass, trained social workers who are meant to be a child’s voice, failing to listen to the pleas of the most vulnerable, resulting in deaths, and continued physical, sexual, emotional, coercive & controlling domestic abuse.

Family court judges, social services, Cafcass are forcing children & vulnerable victims, to continue contact with their abusers, because them having contact with both parents is more important than the abuse they disclose with evidence. The law that is meant to protect children’s interests, is only working conveniently to hide poor practice of Social Workers, and Judges. In some cases it has prevented the public from knowing about unlawful action that has breached people’s human rights, damaging children and their parents in ways from which they can never recover, through separation and parental alienation, when children are unlawfully removed. Social Care, Judges, and those who hide behind the secrecy family court awards them, need to be held accountable.

Children’s privacy has to be protected, but so too does their right to the very best decision making, by a justice system whose main actors ie JUDGES, social workers, and Cafcass need to be observed in their work, and held to account publicly for what they do! More transparency in our family courts is urgently needed, to help protect the most vulnerable.

Only tiny chinks of light are thrown on to the family court system, via occasional published judgments, which have shown more devastating human rights abuses. Poor professional practice, ignorance of the law or outright flouting of it, social services overreaching their powers, coercive behaviour towards vulnerable families, and lengthy delays to justice, all these things can and do happen in family courts, but only on the rarest of occasions are they made public. And only then if the judge says so.

Who is holding the family court judges to account? Antiquated judicial attitudes to the risks of domestic abuse took years to be revealed, and only then thanks to sustained lobbying by campaigners and a single, devastating appeal court judgment published 2 years ago that horrified all who read it. The principle of open justice is an essential part of our legal system; it is the only way of keeping check on judges, and social services power and scrutinising their decisions. But this is not a realistic option in family courts at present, because it is afforded a shroud of secrecy, that is failing to expose the wrongdoing of the professionals involved. 

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, was just the tip of the iceberg, and I am determined to change this. There are many more like him that have died before, and waiting to die as a result of the failings by social services, family court judges, and Cafcass, who are given information on abuse and ignore it stating a child’s right to both parents is more important than keeping the child safe mentally, physically, and emotionally. Do you know how many children, and parents disclose Co ercive and controlling domestic abuse and are ignored, do you know how many social workers complete reports when they’ve only ever spent 3 hours in total over a 6 month period with a child or a parent who’s withstood abuse from the other parent, and it’s even worse if you come from an ethnic background. The lack of knowledge around ethnic communities, Co-ercive control, and some of the abuse that isn’t always physical, but even more damaging in most cases, as it can lead to deaths, and suicides, needs to be reformed. There’s so much more the great British public need to be made aware of, but can only be done with your help.

Please help push this urgently needed reform with your signature. Thank you.