28/4/23 – PN1 of 2020 issued by HHJ de Haas KC ‘Appointment of rule 16.4 Guardians’ has been amended and reissued as PN1A of 2023 ‘Amended Rule 16.4 Practice Note 28/4/23’
24/4/23 – President’s Public Law Working Group publishes Supervision Order Report (April 2023). Endorsing the recommendations of the group the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, said, “The report and its recommendations are the fruits of intense and extensive collaborative work by professionals from all of the sectors working on child protection cases in the Family Justice system. Whilst the group has been brought together and led by the judiciary, this has genuinely been a joint endeavour by all of the many PLWG members and others who have been involved. I am most grateful to each and every one of them.
This report makes recommendations to ensure that in the future a supervision order is a robust and effective public law order to secure and promote the welfare of children in the care of their parent(s) or wider family. The Best Practice Guidance sets out six core best principles which underpin the making and operation of supervision orders. I am particularly impressed by the new requirement of best practice that a supervision order should only be made when the court has approved a supervision support plan which clearly sets out the support and resources to be provided for a family by a local authority.
It has been a striking feature of this work that the development of the group’s ideas and recommendations has been organic and has proceeded at each turn on the basis of agreement across the board, rather than controversy. That this is so, strongly suggests that the recommendations made are both sound and necessary. It gives ground for real optimism that the messages in this report will be welcomed by social workers, lawyers, judges, magistrates and court staff across England and Wales and that, after a short implementation period, they can be put into effect and begin to make a real difference on the ground. That is my earnest hope and confident expectation.“
2 April 2023 – From HHJ Parker, DFJ Cheshire and Merseyside – By agreement with the PFD the time for compliance by local authorities with the PD issued by the PFD relating to Bundles is further extended to 31 July 2023.
16 March 2023 at 4.45pm via Teams – Open Forum Meeting with HHJ Parker, DFJ Cheshire and Merseyside – open to all members of the legal profession. For details or to obtain link please contact Kate.burnell@stjohnsbuildings.co.uk
Cheshire and Merseyside Family Court Forum 