Neurodiversity in the Family Justice System Panel Discussion

Useful links referenced during the session:

• Family Justice Council Guidance
• FLANC homepage
• FLANC 'All About Me' document
• FLANC x FLiP toolkit

Earlier this year, the Family Justice Council released Guidance for Practitioners Working with Neurodivergent Users of the Family Justice System. The product of nearly two years of collaborative work, the guidance brings together existing regulatory frameworks and outlines best practice, with contributions from professionals across the family justice sector.

In his foreword, the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, highlighted the core message of the guidance: “Understanding an individual’s needs leads to better participation, and more effective justice.” He further noted: “It is clear that the failure to recognise and accommodate neurodivergence within the Family Justice System leads to parties, witnesses and children not being able to participate fully. Equal access to justice is fundamental to a functioning and fair system.”

The event was chaired by Sian Smith of 42BR Barristers, who also serves as Chair of the FLBA Advocacy Working Group.

The panel includes Jenny Beck KC, Chair of the Family Justice Council Working Group on Neurodiversity. She is the author of the neurodiversity guidance, a founding member of Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community (FLANC), and Chair of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory.

Elizabeth Fletcher, Partner at Family Law in Partnership, will also be speaking. She is a co-developer of the NCDR Toolkit, working alongside members of FLANC.

Also on the panel is Caroline Croft of Coram Chambers, a member of the NCDR Working Group and a founding member of FLANC.

Speakers

Jenny Beck KC (Hon) - Jenny is an award-winning family lawyer and founding director of Beck Fitzgerald, a niche central London family practice. She is committed to accessible justice and the rights of the individual. She specialises in complex disputes relating to finance and children and regularly speaks on issues relating to access to justice and the family justice system. Jenny is the Private Law representative on the Family Justice Council and Chair of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory Board. She is a current member and former chair of the Law Society’s Access to Justice Committee, member of the Family Law Committee and Co-Chair of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group. In 2021 Jenny was made an Honorary King’s Counsel (KC Honoris Causa) for her contribution to changes in the law relating to accessible justice and domestic abuse. 

To view Jenny Beck KC (Hon)'s full website profile, please click here.

Elizabeth Fletcher - Elizabeth Fletcher is a family solicitor and Director at FLiP. She practises in both financial remedy and private law children work, with a specific interest in the latter area. She is also a practising accredited mediator and collaborative practitioner. Elizabeth sits on the Law Society’s Family Law Committee. She also sits on the Working Group for Family Mediation Week and is actively involved in several sub-groups of Family Solutions Group, including looking at how to ensure the voice of the child is heard in all NCDR processes. Elizabeth regularly supports neurodiverse clients and drew on this experience when working with FLANC to develop the NCDR toolkit for neurodivergent clients.

Caroline Croft - Caroline is a barrister at Coram Chambers and founder member of FLANC. Caroline was called to the Bar in 2010. She specialises in all aspects of the law relating to children, with particular expertise in the most serious care cases and cases involving issues of neurodivergence. Caroline is recognised as a leading junior barrister in the Legal 500 and is described as “the ultimate professional” and “passionate, knowledgeable and extremely thorough” in the 2025 edition of the Legal 500. Caroline is committed to equal access to justice for all and undertakes pro-bono work as part of her practice. Caroline was invited to contribute to the FJC guidance on neurodivergence which was published in January 2025. Caroline undertakes regular public speaking engagements, delivers training to other lawyers and social workers and regularly writes articles for professional journals and publications.

Family Law Advice for the Neurodivergent Community 

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About the speakers

Siân Smith Siân is a family practitioner specialising in financial and children matters at 42 Bedford Row Chambers. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.