SEEDING CHANGE Read stories of innovative practice from across the family justice system on our website now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/stories

CHART OF THE MONTH A substantial minority of parents return to court within five years following private law applications. Learn more: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

NEW BOARD MEMBERS Nuffield Family Justice Observatory has appointed three new members to its advisory board. Read more: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/nuffiel...

Nuffield Family Justice Observatory welcomes three new board members - Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

Her Honour Judge Carol Atkinson, Her Honour Judge Carole Burgher and Ben Collins have joined the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (Nuffield FJO) board.

nuffieldfjo.org.uk

This upcoming report by researchers at Lancaster University will represent an important step forward in understanding families’ journeys through the court process. The report will be available on our website soon. Keep an eye on our social media for updates.

In case you missed it, our webinar ‘Family Justice 2030: What a child needs’, which was attended by almost 600 professionals from across the family justice system, is available to watch in full online now. WATCH NOW: youtu.be/vRhZIEC9oFk

Family justice 2030: What a Child needs Webinar - Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

YouTube video by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

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This event will be of particular interest to all those working in and around the family courts, including social workers, solicitors, barristers, judges and magistrates. Register to attend here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/events/famil...

Family Justice 2030: What a Child needs - Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

To mark the launch of our new five-year strategy, Nuffield Family Justice Observatory are hosting a webinar on June 03rd, 2026

nuffieldfjo.org.uk

WEBINAR - WEDNESDAY 3 JUNE 2026 - 4:30PM - 6PM This event marks the launch of our new five-year strategy and comes at a time when the government is also preparing a strategy for the family justice system. Register to attend here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/events/famil...

CHART OF THE MONTH This month’s chart of the month shows that there has been a 7% increase in private law cases in comparison to 2024, which is the biggest annual increase in cases since 2015. Read more now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

In case you missed it, our director, Lisa Harker, gave the Bridget Lindley Memorial Lecture this year on the subject of AI in the family justice system. Watch the full lecture on our website now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/bridget...

Improving children’s lives: Holding on to what matters during the technology revolution?  - Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

In 2026 the Bridget Lindley Memorial Lecture was given by Lisa Harker, Director of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. The lecture, entitled ‘Improving children’s lives: Holding on to what matter...

nuffieldfjo.org.uk

Read the updated toolkit, which aims to support family judges in writing to the children involved in the cases before them. We supported the toolkit's development, sharing findings from research on children’s experiences of family court proceedings. www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u...

“As Lisa Harker of Nuffield Family Justice Observatory points out, good decisions are better than speedy ones.” Read this opinion piece from The Guardian, which looks at improved transparency in the family courts against the continued challenges of funding cuts: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Guardian view on family justice: transparency should help a flawed system to improve | Editorial

Editorial: Increased openness is a change for the better. But cuts have made the courts’ work far harder

theguardian.com

Our new data story considers some of the demographic trends in England and Wales for those young people who may be the parents of tomorrow, and the potential implications of these trends. Explore more from the data here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/tomorro...

Tomorrow’s parents: Understanding the family justice system of the future - Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

nuffieldfjo.org.uk

CHART OF THE MONTH Read more from this data, and previous charts of the month, on the Data Tracker, on our website: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

NEW BRIEFING PAPER Read our new briefing paper by our Associate Director Dr Ellie Ott: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/dev...

SEEDING CHANGE - NEW STORY OUT NOW In the article, we speak to staff members at Project Unity as well as young women who received support from the programme. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/story/how-pr...

How Project Unity is empowering care-experienced young mothers and breaking cycles of babies being taken into care - Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

nuffieldfjo.org.uk

NEW SEEDING CHANGE STORY COMING SOON This article will be available on our website soon. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates.

VACANCY - Researcher (Maternity cover) We are looking for a researcher to support the work of Nuffield FJO by carrying out relevant data analysis and research on a range of topics relating to family justice. Find out more: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/vacancy...

Vacancy: Researcher (Maternity cover) - Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

We are looking for a Researcher to join our team on a maternity cover basis. As a Researcher, you will support the work of Nuffield FJO by carrying out relevant data analysis and research on a range o...

nuffieldfjo.org.uk

Our updated briefing paper ‘AI in the family justice system’ is available to download on our website now. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/ai-...

NEW BRIEFING PAPER COMING SOON An update to our 2024 briefing aims to prompt reflection and discussion on AI in the family justice system. The paper will be available to download on our website soon. Keep an eye on our social media for updates.

This month we take a look at data which shows that White and Mixed ethnicity children are more likely to leave proceedings on legal permanence orders (adoption and special guardianship) Explore this and other data on our data tracker now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

Our new WhatsApp channel provides a new convenient way to sign up to our events and download our research from your phone. Sign up now via the QR code or link: whatsapp.com/channel/0029...

1/2 We welcome this new protocol which has a clear focus on ending the practice of same-day hearings for newborn babies. www.judiciary.uk/guidance-and...

Join our WhatsApp channel for a new way to stay up to date with our research and events while on the move. Sign up at the QR code below, or via this link: whatsapp.com/channel/0029...

"By listening to young people and trying new things, we can make meaningful improvements for children, even at some of the most difficult points in their lives." - Nuffield Family Justice Observatory Associate Director, Jude Eyre www.cypnow.co.uk/content/in-d...

Care proceedings pilot helps young people 'feel heard' by judges - CYP Now

A project that saw young people meet family court judges improved their trust in the care proceedings process and strengthened professionals' decision making, explains Jude Eyre, associate director fo...

cypnow.co.uk

CHART OF THE MONTH This month we look at publicly funded mediation, which has seen a substantial decline since 2013, with a 60% drop in assessments over 12 years, and a halving of successful agreements. Read more on our website now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

This new report will highlight the experiences of both young people and professionals, providing insights and perspectives as to how the meetings might work better. We will share updates on our LinkedIn and BlueSky when the report is published on our website.

CHART OF THE MONTH This month, NFJO's Associate Director (Research and Data) Dr Eleanor 'Ellie' Ott explores the data in more detail in a blog post. Read more here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/whos-in...

For this month's Seeding Change story we spoke to the team at YMCA Leicestershire and The Y Theatre about their work with the young people who come to live in supported housing. Read the article here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/story/how-ym...

In this month's Seeding Change story we'll be learning about how YMCA Leicestershire and The Y Theatre create environments of support and empowerment for young people in supported housing. Available on our website soon. Keep an eye out for further updates.

CHART OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER November is #NationalCareLeaversMonth. In this month's chart of the month we look at what data tells us about care leavers' pathways into higher education, where vocational pathways are more common Explore the data: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker