Improvements to family justice system welcomed

1 April 2011

The Law Society has today welcomed the release of an interim report into the UK's family justice system.

The Government-appointed Family Justice Review panel, chaired by David Norgrove, has recommended far-reaching changes to improve children's and families' experience of the system.

Law Society President Linda Lee said the family justice system has been under-resourced for too long.

“We think there is considerable merit in many of the panel's recommendations, in particular that cases should be handled by a single judge.

“Allowing the same judge to hear a case from beginning to end and ensuring that courts only deal with the most important issues in a case, will help strengthen the system and ensure that the system is more efficient and able to provide swift and fair resolution for what can be very difficult cases.

"We also support the view that these cases should not be about "winners and losers" but about enabling people to move forward and providing proper protection for vulnerable children.

“However, it is crucial that adequate resources are in place to properly implement these changes. The proposals are ambitious and seem likely to need additional funding if they are to succeed. This will apply not just to the court service but to local authorities and others who will have greater roles as a result of these proposals.

"We believe that this will be money well spent.

“Family cases involve people dealing with complex, sensitive issues and are highly stressful for both the children and adults involved. They have far-reaching effects on the lives of all parties involved and it is crucial that the system should provide the most effective way forward in the interests of the children concerned.

“In many cases, mediation and other alternative ways of resolving disputes will be effective and helpful, but we are concerned that some of the proposals may place too many hurdles in front of people whose disputes, ultimately, will need to be resolved by a court and cause significant delay and cost. Care will be needed to avoid unintended damaging consequences.

"These proposals, however, are interesting and thoughtful. We will study them with interest and look forward to engaging further with the panel in developing them in the interests of an effective system of family justice."

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