Open Reporting Provisions

Reporting by journalists and legal bloggers in family cases about children

Following a successful two-year pilot, the Family Procedure Rules have been amended to empower the family court to make Transparency Orders, allowing anonymised reporting on proceedings involving children by accredited journalists and legal bloggers. The aim of the Open Reporting Provisions is to enable reporters to report on what they see and hear in court, subject to protecting the child’s privacy and anonymity.

The Reporting Pilot took place between January 2023 and January 2025, eventually extending to 19 family justice areas in England and Wales. The pilot followed recommendations by the President of the Family Division in the Transparency Review in October 2021, and a year-long design and consultation process led by Mrs Justice Lieven and District Judge Harrison as part of the Transparency Implementation Group. The pilot was subject to independent evaluation by the National Centre for Social Research.

This page contains the key resources for parents, professionals, lawyers and reporters.