Upcoming events
Family Justice Council: Experts Committee
Schwartz Round
“When Your Best Doesn’t Feel Good Enough — Working in
the Family Court”
— 29 January 2026, via MS Teams
The Family Justice Council Experts working group is hosting a virtual Schwartz Round on 29 January 2026, from 5pm to 6pm. This event will be beneficial to professionals who work within the family justice system and will take place remotely on MS Teams.
It will be chaired by Mr Justice David Williams in his capacity as Chair of the Family Justice Council Experts Committee.
The Schwartz round will be facilitated by Dr Nicola Cosgrave, Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, and Dr Laura Golding, Schwartz Rounds Mentor/Associate, The Point of Care Foundation. A panel of 2-3 storytellers will share their story on the theme above.
To register to attend the event please complete the following form: Registration Form. Please note that there are limited spaces.
Registration will close on Wednesday 21 January 2026. Those who have secured a place will be informed by Monday 26 January and provided with the Teams Link.
What is a Schwartz Round?
Schwartz Rounds are predominantly used in a medical setting. They provide a structured forum where staff (clinical and non-clinical) come together regularly to discuss the emotional and social aspects of working in healthcare.Rounds have been shown to help staff feel more supported in their jobs, allowing them the time and space to reflect on their roles. To find out more about Schwartz rounds please visit the Point of Care Foundation website.
How will a Schwartz Round apply to Family Justice?
The work of the family courts has a lot in common with healthcare settings. It involves deeply difficult, often traumatic situations, where the people and families involved face some of the most challenging experiences of their lives. In which the professionals aim to deliver a high-quality response but are also experiencing the day-to-day difficulties of working within a context of high stress and emotion, as well as functioning within a heavily stretched system.
The family justice system includes a range of professionals (judges, court staff, social workers, solicitors, barristers, experts) all of whom experience the system slightly differently given their individual roles. The purpose of the Round in a family justice context is to explore the challenges and rewards that are intrinsic to working in the system, not to solve problems or to focus on specific aspects of a case.
Family Justice Council 18th Annual Debate
“Does the term ‘permanence’ help or hinder outcomes for children?”
— Wednesday 3 December 2025, London and via Teams
The Family Justice Council is holding its 18th Annual Debate and panel discussion on Wednesday 3 December 2025, from 5pm to 7pm. The event will take place at a venue in central London in-person and will be live-streamed via MS Teams.
The motion for this year’s debate is:
“Does the term ‘permanence’ help or hinder outcomes for children?”
The event will be chaired by Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division and Chair of the Family Justice Council. The panel speakers will be announced shortly.
We aim to achieve attendance of a cross-section of the key professions working in the family justice system and welcome those who represent the interests of service users.
To register to attend the event, please complete the registration form. You will be asked to indicate whether you wish to attend in-person or online via MS Teams.
Registration for the event will close on Friday 21 November 2025 for in-person attendees, and Friday 28 November 2025 for online attendees.
As places at the venue are limited, we will inform those who have requested to attend in-person whether they have been successful by Wednesday 26 November 2025. An MS Teams link will be sent to those wishing to attend online in due course.