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Making life better for children and families by holding a mirror to the family justice system.

Our vision for a system designed around what a child needs

A system that helps children and families to thrive – that makes their lives better, not worse.

A system that enables children and families to meaningfully participate in vital decisions about their lives.

A system that treats people fairly and equitably.

Explore our research

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AI | 2026

Delegated by default? Privately owned technology in the family justice system – opportunities and challenges for access to justice

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Private law | 2026

Routes through court for families in private law proceedings

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General | 2026

Developing measures that matter in the family justice system

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AI | 2026

AI in the family justice system – 2026

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Young people | 2026

Young people meeting judges: What we learnt from a pilot with young people in care proceedings

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Young people | 2025

Caring for children in complex situations: Towards a new ecosystem 

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Young people | 2025

Caring for children in complex situations: Five learning points and a case for change 

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Newborn babies | 2025

Residential family assessment centres: Data trends and questions

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Young people | 2025

Child-focused, data-driven: Learning from youth justice to improve family justice data

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Young people | 2025

Towards a child-first family justice data strategy: Six key insights from youth justice

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Newborn babies | 2025

Newborn babies and care proceedings bulletin 14 – Supporting parents when their newborn babies are, or could be, separated from them

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Newborn babies | 2025

Recurrent care proceedings: five key areas for reflection from the research (update)

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View our work

Infographic

What do we know about children in the family justice system?

Our regularly updated infographic highlights what we know, and what we don’t know, about children’s journeys through the family justice system based on national administrative data.

Looking for advice?

We aren’t able to provide support or offer advice in individual cases in the family justice system but here you can view the organisations that can help.

A child reaching up holding a toy car

About Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

We are an independent body, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Nuffield Family Justice Observatory turns research, collaboration and new ideas into better experiences for children and families in the family justice system.

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