Reporting restrictions, anonymity & transparency in the family courts
REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-28
The default: privacy
Family proceedings are heard in private, and the identity of the children and families is protected. The Administration of Justice Act 1960 (s.12) restricts publishing information about private family hearings; the Children Act 1989 (s.97) bars identifying children involved in proceedings. Breaching these rules can be contempt of court.
What you must not do (while proceedings are live)
- Post about your case on social media naming people, the court, or dates
- Share filed statements/reports with anyone outside the case
- Photograph anything inside court
- Sell or publish the story without permission
What's changing: transparency
The judiciary has been running a transparency pilot ( Reporting in the Family Courts ): accredited professional journalists and legal bloggers may report from certain family hearings, and more anonymised judgments are being published. Even under the pilot:
- Children must not be identifiable
- Parties can object on safety/welfare grounds
- You still cannot publish your own reporting — the permission is for accredited media
Anonymised judgments
More judgments appear on BAILII and the judiciary website with parties anonymised ("A v B"). Searching them is legitimate research — and useful: you can find cases like yours and see how courts reasoned. (Don't cite them as binding on your own case without advice.)
If a journalist contacts you
- You are not obliged to comment
- Speaking to the press about live proceedings can breach the rules — get advice first
- If you believe the media should tell your story (maltreatment, injustice), the proper route is an application to lift reporting restrictions, made with legal advice
Official links
- Transparency guidance: https://www.judiciary.uk
- Anonymised judgments: https://www.bailii.org
This page is general information, not legal advice. YourFamilyCase.co.uk is an independent information directory and is not affiliated with the Judiciary or gov.uk.
Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.