This is an electronic library of the national and local guidance and precedents for the Family Court published during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be updated as often as possible, but if you have any further documents to add, please email secretary@wmflba.co.uk.
Mark Cooper, West Midlands FLBA Secretary
Last updated: 12.33pm, Monday 25th January 2021
Guidance from the Senior Judiciary
Case Law
A Local Authority v Mother & Ors [2020] EWHC 1086 (Fam)
Technology
Wellbeing
FLBA
Circuit Guidance
The Northern Circuit website has regular Covid-19 updates: https://www.northerncircuit.org.uk/covid-19/
Legal Aid Agency and Remuneration Guidance
Cafcass
Experts
Berkshire (Reading, Oxford & Slough)
Birmingham
Birmingham (Financial Remedies Court)
Bristol (Avon, Somerset & Gloucestershire)
Cambridge, Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire
No local guidance has been issued. Please adhere to the President’s guidance.
Cardiff
No local guidance has been issued. Please adhere to the President’s guidance.
Central Family Court (London)
Cornwall
Coventry
Cumbria
Derby
Devon (Exeter, Plymouth & Torquay)
Dorset (Bournemouth)
The local guidance has been rescinded. Please follow the national guidance.
East London
Essex & Suffolk
Humber
Kent
The following summary has been provided by Peter Donaghey (Partner at Davis Simmonds & Donaghey):
The guidance has been that Judges should makes decisions on a case by case basis. Facilities are in place to deal with hearings where parties are represented or unrepresented. The guidance is that BT meetme or Skype for business should be used but not Zoom to facilitate remote hearings without first discussing the issue with the DFJ. CVP is going to be introduced as soon as possible.
A number of cases due to be before Circuit Judges have been considered and where appropriate adjourned for when it is hoped a face to face hearing can take place. District Judges are reviewing cases closer to the hearing dates. At tier 1 no contested hearings are taking place remotely due to technical issues. A duty system has been set up for legal advisers to deal with agreed orders with lay Judges available to approve the same. Cases at tier 1 which are not agreed are being transferred to be heard before a DJ.
Maidstone Court is open for any face to face hearings however the guidance is that no party or professional is under an obligation to attend in person. A duty rota of Judges has been arranged. These Judges will be dealing with their usual remote hearings but also any face to face hearings which arise. The last update from the Court service was that no such hearing had taken place but this was in the early days of the Court re-opening.
There are also two documents available:
Leeds
No formal written guidance, but regular meetings held with the DFJ and Leeds practitioners.
Leicester
Lincolnshire
Liverpool, Chester & Merseyside
Luton & Bedfordshire
No local guidance has been issued. Please adhere to the President’s guidance.
Manchester
Newcastle DFJ Area
See below for Teeside DFJ Area
North Wales
Northampton
Norwich/Norfolk
No local guidance has been issued by the Family Court. However, there is local guidance from the County Court, which refers to family cases:
Portsmouth (including Southampton & Basingstoke)
Sheffield & South Yorkshire
Somerset
Stoke-on-Trent
Surrey DFJ Area
Sussex DFJ Area
Swansea
Teeside DFJ Area
West London
Wolverhampton & Telford
Worcester
York
