A two day International Research Conference at Northumbria University has been scheduled in October to look at ways in which family professionals can ensure parents and children in need of support are able to access justice.
The conference, which runs from 8th-9th October this year, will encourage people to share their experiences of working in the Family Court following the implementation of the Public Law Outline in 2008, and the modernization of the family justice system which has led to many changes within the family courts.
Topics for discussion will include the rise of Litigants in Person, and McKenzie Friends who assist families unable to pay for solicitors and barristers; helping families access legal advice; how families and children feel about the way the Family Court works, and ways in which the system can be improved.
The main themes for the conference are:
- Advocacy and Capacity: the rhetoric and reality of representation for parents and children
- Relationship-based approaches to working with families
- Research in Family Justice: possibilities and constraints
- Innovation and Empowering Interventions
- Comparative Approaches to Family Justice: commonalities and differences from International Jurisdictions
Keynote speakers currently confirmed include:
- Rt. Hon. Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division and Head of Family Justice
- Professor Brid Featherstone, Professor of Social Work, University of Huddersfield
- Professor Judith Masson, Professor of Socio-Legal Studies, University of Bristol
- Nicholas Stonor QC, Trinity Chambers Newcastle
- Professor Kathryn Abel, Professor of Psychological Medicine, University of Manchester
- Professor Karen Broadhurst, Professor of Social Work, Lancaster University
The conference is not free and is designed in the main for people working inside the family justice system, but if you would like to attend and perhaps ask if you can come along at a discounted price, or for free if the conference organisers will consider it, you can get in touch at nu.events@northumbria.ac.uk
Many thanks to Abby Wiffen for sharing the conference details and kindly inviting us to attend.
Researching Reform 
The conference ought to recognise that it is RARE for the legal profession to get ‘justice’ for parents, i.e. their children BACK from local authorities!
That’s the real reason for the rise of McKenzie Friends. See the contributions to the consultation: https://mckenzie-friends.co.uk/2016/05/27/moj-whos-afraid-of-mckenziefriends-why-no-ban-on-paid-mckenzie-friends-mckenzieangels-fly/
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Parents should be asked if they wish to speak,in court,call witnesses and call their children aged 10 or more to speak in court to give their opinions .
Claims that they would be traumatised by appearing are rubbish as far more say they are upset by not appearing and being forbidden to do so.
If a child stole a bottle of wine from Tesco he would be up in court soon enough without talk of emotional harm !
Similarly parents whose children have been taken cannot put pictures of them on the internet as it would breach the kid’s privacy;
Once however the adoption industry gets going all talk of privacy is forgotten with photos ,first names and even character descriptions are put into the press !
One law for the “SS” and another for us………………….
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I know for a fact that children are not traumatised by speaking to a judge in court.
In fact the children wanted to speak their truth – a truth distorted by social workers, Gals etc.
However, while the children spoke out and really well, a GAL suggested their words were only the words of children. They were the voices of abused children telling it as it was.
How about lie detector tests as the 9 year old boy suggested- when not believed.?
Then the worst bit was when the Judge said he believed the children and they had amazing manners etc…..BUT- HE had to OBEY THE SS.
Those children – now adults remember that deeply traumatic moment very well.
I could go to that conference and speak and shock everyone there- by proving that certain Lord Justices- never even open the bundles. When I asked why. LJ M said the decision was already made by SS social workers.
But a week before a different Lord Justice said that a massive crime had been committed and the case should have been criminal.
Next week that Lord Justice was gone and a different one put in his place- who knew nothing about the case,
You also have to keep eyes open re the stealing of audios etc- right in front of you.
Most people are too traumatised to notice. So never wonder how transcripts get altered either.
One fine day, some real Justice Maker will put this and more to the people of Great Britain and the world will look on and see the great Truth about court corporations.
Law is Not Justice.
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I see no service users on the list?
Service users know the truth at ground level.
All these professionals are not working at ground level – no matter what they are groomed to believe.
Anyone who has experience knows that the whole idea of court corporations is to make ££££££££ and it has nothing to do with Justice.
Justice must be SEEN, To Be Done.
Secret courts – Inquisition courts of old – Fail to allow justice to be SEEN.
One has to ask Why?
Any truthful soliccitor will tell you that you cannot win against the state.. Just a few win to make service users believe they will win, but like all the others, they get broken down bit by bit and legally abused. They either spend the rest of their lives on medication or they suicide out in despair.
Anydecent solicitor will tell you that they will be blackballed if they go against the LA solicitors etc.
So now we know solicitors are scared of being blackballed , what use are they in court?
BARristers have a duty to the court, not to the solicitor’s client and must tell the court things service users thought were safe with them.
So of course McKenzie Friends and LIP’s are on the rise as trust is not there any more among the service users. Word travels fast and people see all the injustices, all the pain , all the suffering, all the broken families and decide that the so called professionals are a money making cult onto themselves.
Of course its all based on the Roman Catholic design- so why do we wonder at the Black death cult, with its black death robes and its annual Red Roman Catholic Mass for Judges who invite that God of suffering to assist them. Its insane in 2016.
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ladyportia27 … agree with you its disgusting how they all feed off breaking up children’s families disgusting and filthy.
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ladyportia27 … agree with you entirely they are parasites feeding off children and breaking hearts evil child traffickers socially engineering its disgusting, filthy and one day the Real Judge will not be best pleased!
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Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
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Reblogged this on Musings of a Penpusher and commented:
This may be one to consider if you share any of these issues.
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When going through care proceedings (many years ago) I wondered why my solicitor did not properly fight on my behalf and carry out investigations as I told him that would have proved the GaL for example was lying, which the sws knew – they too twisted the truth, lied and made false claims many of which could have also been proved using local authority documents, some I could find others not. It took me several years of analysing the various aspects to figure out why, some only recently after over 15 years, and the remaining answers. Ladyportia has got it to a T, saying just what I had concluded. I never knew care proceedings existed or that sws etc lied until my involvement. To say I was naive would be an understatement. Going into court was a matter of course for SS, they knew beforehand they would win. When this is well known, how come the situation is allowed to continue? Clearly, they do not care about the children.
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An afterthought. Ladyportia mentions a lie detector test. The vast majority of sws and GsaL, as well as some other so-called professionals, would no doubt fail it.
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