The Open Justice Court of Protection Project is independent of any public body or university. The Project is run on a voluntary basis and without funding.
Please note: we are unable to give legal advice.
The Open Justice Court of Protection Project works to promote Open Justice in the Court of Protection – an English court, established in its current form under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, with the authority to determine whether adults have the mental capacity to make key decisions in their lives (such as where they live, whether they undergo serious medical treatment, whether they maintain contact with family members), and to make decisions in the best interests of those deemed to lack capacity. The decisions made by the court on behalf of some of the most vulnerable members of society can be life-changing, and the case law it produces impacts the rights of disabled people far beyond the walls of the court rooms. In 2016, the “Court of Protection Transparency Pilot” was launched with the aim of increasing access to the court for the public and the media (click here to find out more about the background of transparency in the Court of Protection, along with how it differs from the Family Courts). The Pilot has since been adopted into court procedure, and provides an avenue for public scrutiny of the court’s work, and an opportunity for health, social care, and voluntary sector professionals whose work is shaped by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to gain insights into court practice.
We encourage public access to the court by raising awareness of the rights of Public Observers set out by the Transparency Pilot. We share court listings, with details of hearings that are open to the public; we provide information and practical support for people wishing to observe the Court of Protection in action; we report on hearings we’ve observed; we provide links to published judgments, and updates on developments in the court. We welcome opportunities to engage with others who would like to know more about our project, and/or who share our commitment to promoting the aims of Open Justice in the Court of Protection. Get in touch via our Contact Page.
Note: We are aware the links in the Supporting Guidance – we are working to fix it. In the meantime, if you cannot locate any of the linked documents and would like to access them, please get in touch with us and we will endeavour to help.
(Please contact us via the Contact Page if you require our policy or guidance for bloggers in a format other than pdf and we will do our best to help)
Promoting Open Justice in the Court of Protection 