Janet Clark, 'Evaluation of remote hearings during the COVID 19 pandemic: Research report' (HMCTS, 10/12/21)
Remote hearings This report is based on "quantitative surveys with public users, the judiciary, legal representatives and HMCTS staff and qualitative research with a range of public and professional users".
Gov.uk
The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in a radical and swift transition to the widespread use of audio and video technology, to allow hearings to take place without all participants being present in court or tribunal buildings. This evaluation assesses the characteristics, experiences and perceptions of court and tribunal users, during COVID-19. The findings of the evaluation will inform our use of audio and video technologies, helping us to improve user experience.
The study includes surveys and qualitative interviews with court and tribunal stakeholders, including the public, legal professionals, the judiciary, support professionals and court and tribunal staff.
Extract (page 20)
Evaluation aims
The evaluation sought to understand who attended remote hearings, how public users, the judiciary, legal representatives, HMCTS staff, intermediaries/support professionals and observers experienced remote hearings (pre-hearing, during hearing and shortly after the hearing) and the attitudes of these audiences towards remote hearings. The specific objectives were to:
- Detail the profile and characteristics of public users attending remote hearings.
- Describe the operation of the hearings - technology used, representation and adjustments made.
- Identify whether any technical issues were experienced and how these were handled.
- Explore public users’ and professional users’ overall experiences of the process, and their perceptions, preferences and satisfaction with it.
External links
As well as the report, the Gov.uk web page contains links to:
- HMCTS remote hearing evaluation - technical appendix†
- HMCTS remote hearing evaluation - fair processing notice†