National standards for experts in family court cases come into force

New national standards relating experts in family court cases came into force at the beginning of the month.

Developed by the Ministry of Justice and the Family Justice Council, the standards require an expert - amongst other things – to:

• have knowledge appropriate to the court case;
• have been active in the area of work or practice and have sufficient experience of the issues relevant to the case;
• be either regulated or accredited to a registered body where this is appropriate;
• have relevant qualifications and have received appropriate training;
• comply with safeguarding requirements.

The new standards also come after a change in the law which means that expert evidence will only be commissioned by judges where they consider it necessary to resolve a case justly.

Family Justice Minister Simon Hughes said: “We have put children at the heart of the family justice system, reducing delays that can have a harmful impact on them.

“The new national standards for expert witnesses will make sure that only top quality evidence is presented, as and when the judge deems it necessary. They will help us to make sure cases are resolved as quickly as possible and on the basis of rigorous advice.”