For our thirteenth Voice of the Child podcast, we talk with a mother who has experienced three remote hearings during the Coronavirus lockdown, and her McKenzie Friend Anne Neale, who is also the spokesperson for Legal Action for Women.
In this episode, we look at how these hearings are conducted, the ethical and human rights concerns they raise, and we discuss the Nuffield Foundation’s newly published review on remote family court hearings.
Many thanks to the mother (who uses a pseudonym during the interview), and to Anne for taking part in this podcast.
You can listen to the Voice of the Child here.
Further Reading:
Legal Action for Women’s Submission to the Nuffield Rapid Review
Nuffield Family Justice Observatory Rapid Consultation
Researching Reform 
I’ve got an 8 day remote hearing by phone on 12th-23rd nextweek and the LA want it to be the final for my grandchild.
Dont want them to finalize my grandchild future over the phone,I’m so worried,its like they want to rush it through,destroy us as a family then it’s ok for them,they go home to their family,its a job to them,a wage,destroying my family yet again,I just want my 3 grandchildren back xx
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Thanks for your comment, and I’m so sorry. I really think you should oppose the phone option – insist at least on video if they force the hearing through, any fool can set that up. xxx
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Hi natasha,thankyou for your advice,I will try but I think you know we as grandparents just get pushed in a corner,we are never listened to etc..
Feel as though they’ve already made their mind up anyway,just as they did with my first 2 grandchildren 2 years ago.
Once they take your children it’s hard to get them back,I dont see anyone winning but LA and the courts majority of the time always agree with LA,guardian,psychologist etc..we as a family dont get justice,and my grandchildren will never know how much pain and suffering we have faught and faught to try get them back home.
What hurts most is I wish I could tell them I love them every day,just that at least.xxx
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xxxxx
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