28/6/24 – Amended Practice Note issued – Limiting the size of bundle and length of documents in public law family proceedings. (See bundles and public law tab above)
12/4/24 – DFJ for Cheshire and Merseyside – Guidance on court directed service by WhatsApp:
“I have been asked to give guidance on whether good service has been effected where service by Whatsapp has been directed by the Court and two ticks appear on the sender’s device but they have not turned blue.
If the court has directed service by Whatsapp and the two ticks appear to show delivery of the Whatsapp message then it is ‘served.’
The fact that the ticks on the sender’s device are not blue should be ignored for three reasons;
1 The requirement is to show good service not that a party has read the document;
2 There is a way that the recipient can set their Whatsapp to prevent the ticks ever going blue on the sender’s telephone.
3 It will play into the hands of the evasive respondent if there is a requirement for blue ticks.”
26/3/24 – PN1 of 2023 (non compliance hearings) has been amended and replaced with PN1A of 2023 (added to the 2023 tab above) – non compliance hearings will now be conducted remotely.
27/2/24 – President of Family Division – Disclosure of Information between Family and Criminal Agencies and Jurisdictions: 2024 Protocol – see care/ private law tabs. Annexes to the protocol can be found at http://www.judiciary.uk
23/2/24 – DFJ for Cheshire and Merseyside – E Bundles guidance – see bundles/ care proceedings tabs
23/2/24 – President of the Family Division suspends Guidance on Preparation of Electronic Bundles in Public Law Proceedings – see bundles/ care proceedings tabs
1/2/24 – PN6 of 2021 has been amended and replaced with PN6A of 2021 (added to the 2021 tab above) – Disclosure from local authorities in private law proceedings –
Please note the provisions for;
- What documentation should be directed alongside the letter of involvement;
- When it is appropriate to direct a section 7 report by a local authority.
31/1/24 – Transparency in the family court – See tab for documents relating to transparency including the Liverpool Transparency Order template
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 
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