Judgments in some family cases will be made available online as part of a 12-month Ministry of Justice pilot, launched today.

Family case decisions of the magistrates’ courts in Leeds and the magistrates’ court and county court in Cardiff will be published in what the MoJ said is ‘a drive to help the public and the media find out how family courts work and how decisions are reached.’ From January, the pilot will extend to the magistrates’ court and county court in Wolverhampton.

Evidence from the pilot will be evaluated before the MoJ decides whether to implement the arrangements nationally. Once approved by the courts, family judgments will be available on the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII) website.

The identities of the families involved will not be disclosed.

In April, family hearings were opened up to the media. Forthcoming legislation will lay out a statutory framework for family case reporting.

Justice minister Bridget Prentice said: ‘Family courts are faced with some of the most difficult decisions to be made in the justice system, and the decisions that they make need to be transparent so that the public who use the courts have confidence in them.

‘The courts already provide an excellent service and I believe that, by allowing the public to access a written copy of a judgement in a family case, it will help them understand how a decision was reached. It is important that people understand and feel connected to the justice system and this pilot will assess whether online judgements are a good way of achieving this aim.

‘We will continue to protect and safeguard the identities of children and families by anonymising these written judgments.’