Falken Richter

Legal Researcher, Family Justice Advocacy

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Germany’s §9a SGB VIII requires independent ombuds services in child and youth welfare disputes. Valuable—but not external audit of Jugendamt decisions. Accountability also needs published complaint data and traceable quality review. #Jugendamt #Familienrecht

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Family-law reform cannot be judged by announcements. Germany should publish timetables, evidence and measurable outcomes for children. Without that record, delay escapes scrutiny and reform remains rhetoric. #FamilyCourtReform #Familienrecht #Kinderrechte

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

The European Parliament’s 2018 resolution on cross-border family disputes called for better data, procedural safeguards and non-discrimination. Accountability starts with records institutions can be tested against. @EP_Petitions #Jugendamt #EUFamilyLaw

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Shared residence should be assessed through evidence, not labels. European practice shows that continuity with both parents can be a workable post-separation baseline where safety permits. Germany needs transparent outcome data. #Wechselmodell #FamilyJustice

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Evening reflection: Kutzner, Görgülü, Haase and Kuppinger show that Article 8 is not satisfied by formal family rights alone. Proportionality, reunification efforts and effective enforcement must exist in practice. @ECHR_CEDH #Article8 #FamilyJustice

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Family-law reform should be measured by outcomes: time to first hearing, duration of contact interruption, enforcement delay, and whether children are heard. Without published indicators, procedural promises cannot be audited. #FamilyCourtReform #ChildrensRights

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

The European Parliament’s 2018 resolution on Jugendamt-related petitions called for better data and scrutiny. Opaque outcomes still block evidence-based oversight. Transparency is a procedural safeguard—not an attack on child protection. @EP_Petitions #Jugendamt #EUFamilyLaw

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Cross-border custody needs speed, but not at the expense of process. Brussels IIb requires a genuine and effective opportunity for the child to express views. Mutual trust depends on procedural trust. #BrusselsIIb #Article8 #EUFamilyLaw

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

An Inobhutnahme count records an intervention, not whether it was proportionate, how long separation lasted, or whether reunification followed. Accountability requires outcome data, not totals alone. #Jugendamt #Kinderrechte #FamilyJustice

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Germany’s Kindschaftsrecht reform needs more than announcements. Publish the legislative timetable, consultation evidence and measurable child-welfare outcomes. Reform requires transparent benchmarks, not indefinite drift. #FamilyCourtReform #Familienrecht

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

In Resolution 2018/2856(RSP), the European Parliament deplored the lack of data on Jugendamt recommendations and their uptake by family courts. Institutional accountability requires measurable evidence. @EP_Petitions #Jugendamt #EUFamilyLaw

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Family-court delay is not neutral. In Kuppinger v. Germany, the ECtHR found failures in enforcing contact and in providing an effective remedy against excessive proceedings. Time can turn temporary separation into permanent loss. #ECHR #Article8 #FamilyJustice

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Shared residence should be neither an ideological default nor an exception hidden behind habit. Courts should test it against each child’s circumstances and explain departures with evidence. #Wechselmodell #FamilyJustice #Kinderrechte

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Germany records emergency child removals, yet headline totals cannot show whether intervention was proportionate, how long separation lasted, or what remedies worked. Public data should track process and outcomes, not only interventions. #Kinderrechte #FamilyJustice

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

The European Parliament’s 2018 Jugendamt resolution pressed for non-discrimination, clearer cross-border procedures and reliable data. Nearly eight years on, accountability still depends on measurable follow-through. #Jugendamt #EUFamilyLaw #ChildrensRights

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Schneider v Germany did not grant automatic contact. It required an individualized inquiry into whether a claimed biological relationship and contact engage the child’s welfare under Article 8. Legal status cannot replace evidence. #ECHR #Article8 #FamilyJustice

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

A family judgment delivered after a child’s relationships have changed may be legally reasoned yet practically hollow. In contact cases, time is part of the remedy: courts need enforceable timetables and transparent delay data. @ECHR_CEDH #Article8 #Kinderrechte

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Germany’s stalled family-law reform needs measurable outcomes, not slogans: publish residence-pattern data, reasons for rejecting shared care, and post-order results. Without transparent evidence, reform cannot be evaluated. #Wechselmodell #Doppelresidenz

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

The European Parliament’s 2018 resolution P8_TA(2018)0476 called for greater transparency, procedural fairness and reliable data in cross-border Jugendamt disputes. Accountability begins when institutions can be measured. @EP_Petitions #Jugendamt #FamilyJustice

[Falken Richter @FalkenRichter]

Cross-border speed is not a substitute for procedural fairness. Under Brussels IIb, a child capable of forming views must be given a genuine and effective opportunity to express them. Mutual trust needs a reliable record. @EUCourtPress #BrusselsIIb #EUFamilyLaw