Heard it all before talk is cheap Jack , the old 1's are the good 1's didn't HArriet say the same thing years ago ?

How about open them up before the shame of children in adoption is OUT they can not find a tem cell donor or a bone marrow donor .Why ?
The maladministration of evidence

linda McDermott, Luton, bedfordshire

I agree with most of the comments already posted, from Anne, Chaz, John Moore, Richard, Adam, Mike, Greg Lorriman, Derek Clifton and David Thomas. Having now worked with social workers since January, I am very saddened at some of the things I have seen and heard, the System is God.

Dee, Kent, UK

I am sceptical of the level at which openness is being considered, but welcome anything that leads to greater accountability and ways to improve the services delivered to children and their parents. Perhaps peer reviews and better case management will lead to much needed reforms. Secrecy must end.

David Thomas, Manchester, England

Conspiray of silence?

Sebastian, Luton, England

Alas, media access to family courts is unlikely to disclose
the full extent of dishonesty, misinterpretation, and manipulation we see in preparation of "evidence" against parents. Family lawyers should be ashamed of their failure to challenge such cases adequately.
Jean Robinson, AIMS.

Jean Robinson, Oxford,

fortunately most divorce type stuff, all the bitterness is done by affidavit so there is nothing exciting for the vermin to watch. please remember there is nothing more agonising for a Judge to do than to take away a child or, sometimes, a home they are kind and decent people as a rule

peter c, Devizes, Wessex

And about blooming time too....although there is, as they say, no smoke without fire>>>>>>>

Derek Clifton, Andover, Hampshire, England

Secrecy can cover injustice, but there is legal injustice when children are not returned to their parents only because 'experts' have decided they have bonded too much with their new family.

Adoption should not be as final as capital punishment: where parents are cleared children MUST be returned

Greg Lorriman, Leatherhead, UK

You may not be able to enter the secret family courts, but you can enter the specialist domestic violence(abuse) courts. Here you will see the discrimination at work! Approx 25% of recorded incidents of domestic abuse recorded at police stations are against MEN.....

Michael Wiffen, Manchester , United Kingdom

The problem with press coverage is the danger of stigmatising parents who may be dealing with domestic violence and/or drugs problems. Social services do their best to work with parents to, if possible, get children back in the family home.

Daf, Nottingham,

....I attend court on 3 days, and view on average 24 cases. Given the figure of 25% you would think that i would see on average six cases a week that are female defendents. WRONG! I'm lucky if i see one female defendent A MONTH! I believe that in access of 80% of defendents are the primary victims!

Michael Wiffen, Manchester, United Kingdom

For how long has the secrecy of Family Courts protected the identity of the social workers rather than those of the children we trust them to protect?
If their actions are not transparent and open, how can the process in which they are involved be anything other than one-sided and questionable?

Mike , Luton, England

Anne,
There must be secrecy because Social Workers, who after all, really know what's best for all of us ignorant peasants, say so!

Or perhaps they are fearful that yet more ineptitude & incompetence will be publicly demonstrated - see reports Maria Cowell, Victoria Climbie, and so on.

Roy, Newtown, Powys

Hopefully this will be extended throughout the family justice system.
Closed courts are at odds with the European Commision on Human Rights and subject to abuse due to their lack of transparency

Adam, Norwich, Norfolk

As a retired practising lawyer this a long overdue move by the Justice Secretary. It's time that the mysteries surrounding the
Family Courts and the work of Social Workers was uncovered so that they have to be accountable - at last. It's time that the Social Serice Worker stopped playing God.

Rodney Barker, Gainsborough, England UK

I'm not clear on why there must be secrecy.

Burdening the child with something that is seen as such a shaming secret that only the social workers and judge must ever know about it seems a cruel millstone for them to overcome.

How can teachers, other family members etc help if they don't know

Anne, Dundee,

YES! Brilliant 17 yrs waited for courts to expose what ss do, in that time i lost 2 children to a man who had abused his step daughter, the ss knew all this and influence the court to give him residence ,had a caution before! they put them in danger and more abuse, i have had fear and hell 4 them

chaz, Suffolk, uk

This became a problem when Blair told councils that funding to them would depend on the number of adoptions of children in care.

As Social Services could not place the children already in care they increased the number of children that they took into care and targeted those that could be adopted.

John Moore, Paphos, Cyprus

The entire issue of the role of social workers should come under scrutiny. There have been far too many instances of social workers acting in a most deleterious way. So long as the rights of individuals are protected.

richard, bangkok,