Social workers who are party to family court proceedings will no
longer be banned from revealing case details to MPs.
The government moved to relax family court rules after it was
revealed that MPs had been unwittingly breaking the law by
highlighting child care and custody cases.
Following a consultation, the Department for Constitutional Affairs
announced that, from October, any party to a case involving a child
will be able to pass court judgments to MPs and members of the
House of Lords. However, a proposal to extend this to councillors
was dismissed.
Article continues below the advertisement
The regulations also now state that parties can discuss cases with
partners and close relatives, after recognition that parents and
guardians were being prevented from discussing cases they were
involved in with their families.
Alison Paddle, chair of Nagalro, the organisation representing
children's guardians, said the clarifications were "sensible and
pragmatic".
