Western Circuit Conference

Western Circuit Conference of HMCS - co-hosted by the Peninsula Family Justice Council

Venue: Dartington Hall - 22nd Sept 09

Keynote address given and conference summarised by Mr Justice Hedley, Chair of the MoJ Family / Criminal interface committee, and co-ordinated by Mr Justice Coleridge.

The conference explored the thorny issue of how the overlapping Criminal and family jurisdictions communicate with each other in the fields of children, domestic violence and ancillary relief / proceeds of crime proceedings, and what can be done to effect change for the better.

Documents and talk outlines can be found below:

• Children Giving Evidence - Alex Verdan QC
• Confiscation - His Honour Judge S Wildblood QC
• Domestic Violence - Diana Barran – CEO CAADA
• Disclosure of information - S Cobb QC
• Enforcement of Confiscation orders and Ancillary Relief - Christopher Hames
• Protection from Harassment Act 1997
• Related Family and Criminal Proceedings - A Good Practice Guide

Delegates attended breakout groups, and provided feedback, to Mr Justice Hedley, as attached below:

• "Family and Criminal process and remedies: collision course or sensible overlap?”  Summary of feedback from syndicate groups.

In his closing address Mr Justice Hedley issued a challenge to all those present to put into practice what he had made clear was already possible without the necessity of any change in the law, namely (1) to bring about joint working of and communication between the Family and Criminal systems on the ground, for the benefit of the families concerned and the efficient running of the two systems. (2) to take the responsibility in every individual case to find out the position where there are multiple proceedings and to ensure that all Courts are aware of the approach and position in the other throughout the case.