Courtspeak is the official language of those in the family justice business.

It's the way 'practitioners'(those paid to work there)  talk to each other. It can be gobbledegook to outsiders, for example those trying to represent themselves or make sense of a CAFCASS report. That is probably one of the purposes. The family 'justice' system is a world that those inside don't want others intruding into, because that would be against their commercial interests (for example lawyers wanting to claim the that you have to hire their services) or against their political interests (for example Judges not wanting their decisions scrutinised).

 It serves other purposes too. For example it serves to soften a awareness of  bad, even dishonest practice, for example it helps lawyers conceal from themselves that they are colluding in deceit. Family Court Judges, like all others who have become accustomed to exercising power that is above scutiny, can show overweening arrogance (see another post). This means that those people who wish to persuade them to to something or other have to resort to all sorts of complex expressions which combine grovelling deference with actually making the judge see things their way. This is a particularly acute problem if the judge might have got something wrong.

These are only the first few items in such a glossary, and I hope to add to it from time to time. Any readers of this blog who comes across other items, please communicate with me john.baker6040@ntiworld.com.

KEEPING A FOCUS ON THE (RIGHT) OUTCOME. = telling outright,blatant lies to get the result desired

DECIDED......DID NOT SUIT THEM. Often said of mediation, or Parental Information Programmes. it means a refusal to go.

ALLOWED....TO HAVE ALL THE CONTACT THEY WANTED. Only ever used by mothers of fathers, since that relationship is understood to be at their disposal, it means the father was the principal or exclusive carer.

SOUGHT PROFESSIONAL HELP (OR SUPPORT) = Was under psychriatric treatment or similar

INAPPROPRIATE. An elastic term, but often one of the strongest words in the courtspeak vocabulary. A person who behaves inappropriately in the company of toddlers, for example, is a paedophile.

KEEPING THE FAMILY TOGETHER = Keeping the mother and children together, often excluding the father.

RECONSTITUTED FAMILY. A warming term, implying a return to a warm happy family. In fact it means that the parent who has the children has a new partner. Actually, the children, on average, do less well from now on than with a parent on their own. A factor in this might be that the real father is often then excluded or marginalised, although this has not been researched (that I know of) the term should be reserved for when the original parents get together again, as occasionally happens. A better term for the arrival of a step-parent is a new family combination.

THERE MAY BE A NEED TO SEEK RE-ASSURANCE. = The speaker thinks the person spoken of may be telling lies, for example that s/he is no longer hitting the children.

MAY POSE A RISK. Another term that is stronger than in seems. The parent with care may be consorting with a child abuser, although there is no direct evidence of an offence.

INADVISABLE = it would be absolutely mad to go down this course

HAVING RESERVATIONS. It is often 'inadvisable' to tell a judge, who may be as conceited as Creon, that s/he is wrong. This is a deferential way of introducing arguments that they may be.

 More to follow...especially if others help!