7 July News Restrictions on unregulated Experts in Family Law Children Proceedings Family Law, Unregulated Experts, Family Procedure Rule Committee, Family Procedure Rules, 06. Rules and Regulations The Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2026 amend the Family Procedure Rules 2010 to restrict unregulated experts from acting as expert witnesses in Family Law Children Proceedings. The amendments come into force on 20 July 2026.
22 May News Unregulated Experts in Family Court Children Proceedings Unregulated Experts, Family Procedure Rule Committee, Family Procedure Rules, Children Proceedings, Financial Remedy Proceedings, 06. Rules and Regulations From March to June 2025, the Family Procedure Rule Committee held a consultation on new Family Procedure Rule 25.5A concerning the instruction of unregulated experts. The Committee has now indicated that changes to the FPR on unregulated experts in children proceedings will be included in the next statutory instrument, expected in July, alongside the corresponding practice direction changes.
13 January News Quarterly Update on EWI's Advocacy Work forensic science regulator, Civil Procedure Rule Committee, Family Procedure Rule Committee, Advocacy, Housing Condition Strategy Group, 06. Rules and Regulations, Online Procedure Rule Committee, Criminal Procedure Rule Committee, Competition Appeal Authority One of the key roles of the Expert Witness Institute (‘EWI’) is to ensure that policy, rule and regulatory changes are informed by the experience of our members, and the needs of the expert witness community and the wider justice system. In this update, we discuss key policy developments and our advocacy work over the last couple of months.
17 March News Family Procedure Rules Consultation concerning the instruction of unregulated experts in family law children proceedings Family Law, Unregulated Experts, Family Procedure Rule Committee In recent years a range of stakeholders have raised concerns regarding unregulated experts providing evidence in family law court cases and the standard of the evidence they provide. The Family Procedure Rule Committee is consulting on new FPR 25.5A with the aim of requiring any expert instructed in family law children proceedings to be regulated. A key purpose of the changes is to ensure that any expert instructed in family law children proceedings has the appropriate skills and qualifications on which to base their expert evidence.
19 September News Family Procedure Rule Committee Consultation on New Draft Practice Direction 27A Expert reports, Family Procedure Rule Committee, Family Procedure Rules, Bundles, 06. Rules and Regulations The Family Procedure Rule Committee is consulting on a new draft Practice Direction 27A on court bundles.
10 July News Update on unregulated experts in children proceedings Unregulated Experts, unregulated psychologist, Family Procedure Rule Committee, Family Procedure Rules, Ministry of Justice, Children Proceedings, 06. Rules and Regulations The Minsitry of Justice intends to draft an amendment to the Family Procedure Rules regualting experts appointed by the court in both public and private law children proceedings.
30 April News EWI welcomes government action on unregulated expert witnesses family court, unregulated psychologist, Lord Bellamy, Family Procedure Rule Committee, 06. Rules and Regulations In a Parliamentary debate, Lord Bellamy, a Minister of Justice, noted the neeed for the Family Procedure Rule Comitttee to develop a solution to prevent unregulatd psychologists giving evidence in the Family Court.
24 November News Medical Experts in the Family Courts family court, Family Procedure Rule Committee, 16. Criticism and Complaints, 11. Report Writing, 15. Giving Oral Evidence EWI welcomes the final report and recommendations from the Family Division’s working group on Medical Experts in the Family Courts but raises continued concern about how these recommendations will be delivered.