‘National disgrace’: workers taking bosses to court forced to wait until 2030

As money is poured into criminal courts, the employment tribunal faces an endless backlog – and reduced resources

5 minute read

Illegal children’s homes used as recruiting grounds for criminal gangs

New report cites police, council and charity workers describing the acute dangers faced by children in unregistered settings

4 minute read

‘It was easier to say mum was dead’: teen speaks out after court tore his family apart

Boy opens up for first time about the six-year separation from his mother on the advice of an unregulated expert

7 minute read

Businessman admits to pocketing millions from Thurrock council

Liam Kavanagh used taxpayers’ cash to fund life of luxury and ‘honestly believed he was entitled to the money’

6 minute read

The secret source who helped me crack a council scandal

How a mysterious late-night email blew open the biggest story of my career

3 minute read

‘I lost faith in the system’: The teenager who took on the family courts and won

Florence was taken from her mum aged 10. Then she embarked on a five-year battle to reverse court orders

9 minute read

‘He laughed in our faces and said: take me to court’

Jason Wells’ restaurant chain has cheated workers, lost 21 tribunal claims – and not paid a single one

7 minute read

Abusive carer had neglected an injured child in previous job

Protective Care Group failed to tell offender’s next boss about ‘substantiated allegation’

5 minute read

Comment: An urgent wake-up call over the national scandal of illegal children’s homes

Was a vulnerable 15-year-old left at the mercy of abusive criminals because a council was trying to cover its back?

3 minute read

Two ex-soldiers plied 15-year-old with alcohol and abused her in an illegal children’s home

Ordeal came after Caerphilly council sent a vulnerable girl 300 miles away to an unregistered home staffed by convicted criminals

6 minute read

‘Groundbreaking’ new family court model will put child’s needs first

‘Child-focused’ system designed to reduce damaging custody battles will be rolled out across England and Wales

3 minute read

A scandal far bigger than one woman

What the landmark ruling on unregulated experts means for family courts

4 minute read

For years, bogus court experts have torn families apart. Has that finally come to an end?

We've been reporting on unregulated experts because we hoped our scrutiny would help drive change. Now it has

3 minute read

Don’t use unregulated psychologists, top judge rules

President of family division supports new way to challenge rulings for families split by flawed evidence

5 minute read

Triumph for transparency as court reporter wins battle for private documents

Judge grants access to psychological reports in ruling that could open door for court reporters seeking public-interest documents

4 minute read

Government slammed for ‘callous’ inaction on farmworkers abuse

Criticism comes after the rejection of various ideas, put forward by its own advisers, on how to protect migrant workers from exploitation

4 minute read

Mother vindicated after top judge overturns evidence of parental alienation expert

Findings based on the evidence of Melanie Gill are thrown out by high court – and could open the door for more of the families affected

6 minute read

Thurrock warns Liam Kavanagh is not ‘off the hook’ for £200m solar scandal

Council is actively pursuing businessman who pocketed millions after failed investments

3 minute read

Officials reject calls for a review of Melanie Gill’s child removal cases

Government acknowledges harm of unregulated experts in family court amid demands for an apology

4 minute read

Illegal children’s homes: company that let child sleep on floor collected £12m in public money

Ofsted suspended GMT after visiting a dilapidated and unsafe home. Yet its operators are still providing care for vulnerable children

6 minute read

New report reveals shocking prevalence of illegal children’s homes

Hundreds of vulnerable children are being sent to stay in unregulated homes – and for months at a time

2 minute read

UK immigration law has helped modern slavery thrive, says damning report

New findings point to a ‘growing culture of disbelief’ within government towards victims of trafficking

2 minute read

Mother and son reunited for Christmas six years after ‘draconian’ court order

Boy was taken from his mother’s care as nine-year-old on advice of unregulated expert Melanie Gill

6 minute read

Reform councillor who said young should be paid less failed to pay tribunal awards

George Madgwick has multiple tribunal rulings against him for unpaid wages

3 minute read

Cornwall council offered suppliers £6m to staff illegal children’s homes

Regulators intervene after UK local authority accused of normalising unlawful placements

4 minute read

‘An indictment of the trade union movement’: Why no one is organising seasonal workers

Farm workers go on unofficial strikes as their temporary visas create barriers to union membership

6 minute read

Doing journalism differently: how we built our latest collaborative project

For our investigation into employment tribunals, we joined forces with others who wanted to see the system change

3 minute read

Family courts: calls for ‘urgent review’ of all cases involving Melanie Gill

Victims’ commissioner says removal of children from their parents on the advice of unregulated experts is a ‘national scandal’

4 minute read

Mum who lost custody of children has expert’s evidence overturned

Landmark decision could prompt challenges to other cases involving unregulated expert Melanie Gill

6 minute read

‘Momentous’ change to family courts aims to keep children safe from abusive parents

Presumption that child should have contact with both parents will be scrapped in landmark win for campaigners

4 minute read

Choose your own adventure: can you claim the tribunal money you’re owed?

‘Glad you didn’t get a penny’: cafe boss gloats over unpaid tribunal money

Cafe chain popular with MPs has lost two unfair dismissal cases but still not paid up

5 minute read

Revealed: thousands of rogue bosses have failed to pay tribunal awards

The government scheme ‘enforcing’ money owed to workers has been unsuccessful in a staggering three-quarters of cases

8 minute read

Employment tribunals: ‘scandal’ of toothless scheme to punish non-paying bosses

Just 2% of fines given to employers who disobey court orders have actually been paid

4 minute read

‘Little island of hatred’: the mystery activist who defied anti-migrant protesters

An old episode close to my heart is a reminder that today's racist resentments have been simmering for years

3 minute read

‘I was worried for my child’s safety’: Kate Kniveton tells of her five-year family court ordeal

Former MP reveals that a lawyer advised against trying to keep her abusive ex-husband away from their child

Report into murdered children links parental alienation to ‘pro-contact culture’ of family courts

Findings come from research by Women's Aid into 19 children killed by known domestic abusers

Expert’s suspension raises questions over ‘huge’ number of family court cases

Graham Flatman may have wrongfully given evidence in seven cases uncovered by TBIJ – and that could be the tip of the iceberg

7 minute read

Mother appeals ‘draconian’ custody decision after expert’s suspension

Graham Flatman was later disciplined for misleading court about his qualifications

4 minute read

UK council placed 10-year-old in illegal children’s home costing £29k a week

Isle of Wight has paid over half a million pounds for four months of ‘wholly inadequate’ care

5 minute read

Serious Fraud Office launches investigation into Thurrock fraud claims

Probe follows TBIJ reporting into deals with companies owned by Liam Kavanagh that left the council effectively bankrupt

1 minute read

Farms and supermarkets could pay seasonal workers’ recruitment costs, says report

Government study says upfront fees could be passed along supply chain to prevent debt and exploitation

Teacher and judge who ran abusive household cannot be named, rules high court

TBIJ led legal bid to identify couple whose adopted children suffered emotional abuse, physical attacks and racism

8 minute read

Rogue businessman faked evidence to cover £5m fraud, council alleges

Thurrock claims Liam Kavanagh produced a forged invoice to back up his lies after stealing taxpayers’ money

3 minute read

Opinion: Migrant workers prop up the UK’s social care system. Now we’re being forced out

Labour’s crackdown will break a promise made to workers like me – and leave the system in disrepair

2 minute read

Wealthy Russian family settles dispute with housekeeper after sex and drugs allegations

Mother was accused of abusive behaviour and reckless lifestyle in tribunal claim withdrawn this week

2 minute read

Mother wins legal bid to speak out about her family court ordeal

Woman whose rape allegation was wrongly dismissed by judge had to give evidence twice to secure justice

How Melanie Gill became a ‘leading authority’ on parental alienation

Unregulated psychologist’s rise from little-known music promoter to court-appointed expert in a dubious pseudoscience

7 minute read

Family courts: proposed new rules aim to stop evidence from ‘bogus experts’

Rule-change would make it harder for judges to appoint unregulated experts – but campaigners say it doesn’t go far enough

3 minute read

Council that gambled £1bn on the property market set for government takeover

Spelthorne spent big on commercial properties to offset austerity cuts but amassed disastrous debts

Psychologist’s ‘alarming’ views on domestic abuse throw spotlight on family court experts

Undercover recording reveals Melanie Gill berating ‘completely biased’ judges who have bought into ‘radical feminism’

14 minute read

‘Really terrifying’: undercover calls expose the views of influential court expert

Senior psychologist shocked at recordings of Melanie Gill, who has given expert evidence in hundreds of family cases

5 minute read