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Remote hearings in family courts in England and Wales during Covid‐19 : Insights and lessons
Author(s) -
Harker Lisa,
Ryan Mary
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
family court review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.171
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 1744-1617
pISSN - 1531-2445
DOI - 10.1111/fcre.12638
Subject(s) - social distance , covid-19 , economic justice , distancing , work (physics) , pandemic , social justice , criminology , political science , sociology , public relations , law , medicine , engineering , virology , mechanical engineering , disease , pathology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty)
The introduction of social distancing measures during the COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in family court hearings in England and Wales being conducted remotely, by video or telephone. Over a 15 months period, the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory undertook three rapid consultations to identify how remote proceedings were working, according to families and to a wide range of professionals who work in and around the family court. The consultations revealed the value of working remotely in certain circumstances, but also highlighted significant questions of fairness and justice. These insights should inform how courts operate in the future.