The Children Act 1989 ‘has more than stood the test of time’, Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the Family Division, has said.
Giving the Nicholas Wall Memorial Lecture 2019 last week, he said the drafting was ‘superb’, and subsequent changes have been seen as embellishments or extensions rather than radical reform.
One sign of its flexibility, he said, is that the Family Court can make protection orders for children involved in gang culture or running ‘county lines’ if social services apply for a care order.
Unfortunately, knives are now a problem. At the Central Family Court in London’s Holborn, Sir Andrew said, 473 knives with blades more than three inches long were confiscated during security checks in the first four months of 2019. A further 320 knives were found deposited in the precincts immediately outside the court entrance.
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