I like the sound of my own keyboard, but recently I invited you all to share your perspective on things, to tell a story other than mine (original post here). And quite a few of you replied saying you’d like to take part. So here is how I’d like to do this. I’ve drawn up a list of questions – not to constrain but to guide. I’m hoping they will form a loose sort of structure and that participants will answer those where they think they can say something interesting, ignoring those that don’t grab them or which aren’t relevant to them. You don’t need to take them in order.
The questions:
- Tell us where you fit in (solicitor, barrister, social worker, guardian, judge, researcher, court staff, something else)
- Tell us about your typical week
- Tell us about where you’re at this week (bad week, good week, rewarding week, soul destroying *headdesk* kind of week?)
- Tell us about the highs and lows and the reasons you do the job
- Tell us about what works well in the system and tell us about what does not work at all
- Tell us about how you see the family justice system and how you think others see you and the system you work in
- Tell us about an important influence on your work
- Tell us about how you combine your family with your work and how your experiences impact on your relationships and your parenting
- Tell us – would you choose this job in your next life? and will you be doing it in ten years time?
- And tell us your bright ideas for change and for dialogue
The rules:
- Anonymous is ok.
- Don’t give details of the contents of documents or of what has been said in court in individual cases, don’t breach client confidentiality (remembering that you can be in breach if your client can identify their anonymous self).
- Don’t be abusive or defamatory.
- Expect others to disagree with your views – check back for comments and engage with them.
This is a project which is intended to inform and to provoke constructive and respectful if robust debate. I am not inviting parents to contribute for reasons which I’ve already set out in the original post, but which are probably worth repeating here. In a nutshell two main reasons: 1 Publication of information about individual cases is prohibited. 2 There is already a wealth of information concerning parental experiences of the justice system out there, I’m trying to address the imbalance in the publicly available information about the family justice system so that voices from a range of different perspectives can make themselves heard.
Submissions can be sent to familoo@pinktape.co.uk. I will publish them under a #narratives tag.
Lucy
I see you took my comment down on your ‘intractable dispute’ blog, which was a riposte to remarks Chambers nad made about me. How can you claim credibility as providing a platform for debate when you stifle comment on something you don’t agree with? There was nothing rude or inappropriate in what I posted. LawyerArrogance forms a particular bugbear of fathers.
Paul, you are wrong. I had not moderated it because I was busy. Please read the About page for my comments policy. A presumption that all lawyers are arrogant is a bugbear of mine.
Lucy
I would love to promote your Family Justice Narratives on my blog. Do you have any problem with me copying and linking it back to you? There are nearly 50 family practitioners at Dere Street Barristers.
No problem at all. Thanks.
Done!
http://stephentwist.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/family-justice-narratives/
thanks!
[…] This is the first in the Family Justice Narratives. You can find out what the Family Justice Narratives are all about and how to get involved here. […]
[…] This is the second of the Family Justice Narratives. You can find out what the Family Justice Narratives are all about and how to get involved here. […]
[…] This is the third of the Family Justice Narratives. You can find out what the Family Justice Narratives are all about and how to get involved here. […]
[…] This is the third of the Family Justice Narratives. You can find out what the Family Justice Narratives are all about and how to get involved here. […]
[…] This is the fifth of the Family Justice Narratives. You can find out what the Family Justice Narratives are all about and how to get involved here. […]
[…] You can find out what the Family Justice Narratives are all about and how to get involved here. This narrative is in the format of an email addressed to me, and comes from Brian, a social […]