Guidance for Short Notice Public Law Applications in the Family Court

Today, the President of the Family Division publishes new guidance and supporting materials designed to improve the management of short notice applications in public law family proceedings.

Developed in response to concerns about the increasing use of urgent applications, the guidance seeks to support a more consistent, timely and proportionate approach to gatekeeping and case management. It is also intended to help ensure that (a) parents and children’s guardians have time to respond more effectively to the application and (b) urgent judicial intervention is focused on cases that genuinely require it.

The guidance and accompanying materials have been produced by a cross-disciplinary working group representing organisations and professions from across the family justice system, including the judiciary, HMCTS, Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru, the Department for Education, local authority lawyers, the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, social workers and academics. The final materials reflect valuable feedback received through a public consultation earlier this year.

The President will launch the materials at a webinar on 4 November. Further details and the link to join can be found on the webinar launch page.