2025 Protocol and Good Practice Model: Disclosure of information between Coroners and the Family Court in cases involving fatality

The President of the Family Division and the Chief Coroner are pleased to announce the publication of a new protocol, which takes effect today: the “2025 Protocol and Good Practice Model: Disclosure of information between Coroners and the Family Court in cases involving fatality”.

The Protocol has been designed as a guide to best practice for Family Court Judges and Coroners where there are parallel proceedings. It provides guidance on the flow of information between the two jurisdictions, and on dealing with requests for testing of the deceased to establish paternity. It also explains how Family Court Judges and Coroners can work together to seek expedited post-mortem examination evidence, in cases where care and welfare decisions for surviving children cannot be made until the cause of the deceased’s death is determined.

The President of the Family Division and the Chief Coroner wish to thank HHJ Carly Henley for her vision and hard work in creating this Protocol, as well as the members of the Protocol Working Group and the many readers who provided comments on the Protocol before it was finalised.

The Protocol, which can be downloaded below, will be an invaluable resource for Coroners and Family Judges, enabling the jurisdictions to work together in a way that minimises duplication and delay for the families at the centre of both sets of proceedings.