FCReporting Watch

This is a guest post by Harriet Humberstone, a law student who begins her Bar professional course this September. Harriet has a particular interest in representing children in both private and public law This is my account of a family court hearing I attended as a ‘legal blogger’ for The Transparency Project. As a law student I have a distinct perspective on the inner workings of a courtroom.

Last week saw publication of an important judgment from the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, in a case called Re Y (Experts and Alienating Behaviour: The Modern Approach) [2026] EWFC 38. The case involves now notorious family court expert Melanie Gill, who has featured in some of our blog posts before (27 March 2025; 3 February 2026), and in a number of prominent reports by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

A significant decision has been made by Mr Justice Poole in the High Court, allowing a journalist access to a number of psychological reports that were commissioned in family proceedings. Although when a Transparency Order (TO) is made under the Reporting Provisions a journalist or legal blogger can be given copies of certain court documents, this list doesn’t include expert witness reports or Cafcass reports.