Martin Partington: Spotlight on the Justice System

In May 2013, the Government launched a consultation on the standards that experts in family cases should have. The standards had been drawn up by the Family Justice Council. The judiciary have recently announced that these standards are now operational.

The standards include making sure that the expert:

• has knowledge appropriate to the court case,
• has been active in the area of work or practice and has sufficient experience of the issues relevant to the case,
• is either regulated or accredited to a registered body where this is appropriate,
• has relevant qualifications and has received appropriate training, and
• complies with safeguarding requirements.

The standards were developed in partnership with the Family Justice Council.

For further details, see http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications/new-national-standards-for-family-court-experts/