According to a survey of our service users, on average £23,000 is spent (per parent) on legal costs in family disputes. These disputes typically escalate to absurd levels, largely because they take place behind closed doors and are egged on by our adversarial legal system which cannot help but divide people into winners and losers.
We believe that separated parents would behave very differently when resolving their disputes in an open court. They would be deterred from drawing out proceedings into lengthy battles with allegations and counter-allegations, and costing sums they (and the state) can ill afford. Could it not be a simple matter to reach a reasonable, responsible parenting agreement – especially if that entails the parents doing what they had been doing perfectly well for years before separation? Children suffer far more from these battles than they would if their parents’ protracted debates were shortened by several years by being exposed to public scrutiny.
Our current experience is of a closed system that inadequately serves the children and families it is meant to protect.
We believe that, with adequate safeguards for children and vulnerable adults alike, transparency will lead to great improvements in family dispute resolution, possibly taking many cases out of court altogether. Currently the public don’t realise how ineffective the family justice system is at producing good outcomes for the difficult cases that turn to it. Nor are they aware of how the hidden and adversarial system actually escalates many family disputes instead of resolving them
They came in and stolen my child it all boils down to me being protective and not supporting visit with father, 28 months this case has been in family courts, started as visits then residency change then foster care my son is 12 now he was taken 140 days ago today, his had 3 massive panic attacks his selfed harmed his had no life outside the foster carer home, his been taken from myself my 3 year old autistic son his baby brother, my 18 year old daughter his big sister and my 21 year old his big brother, my household is broken the social services have done nothing to try and reunite us instead enforcing contact with father, even though fathers made admissions of what he did to my boy, b4 he was taken I informed police, cid, teachers, doctors, womans aid, solicitors, the lot to be told in court I’d made all the allegations up and my son was parroting me(they use this line way to often, they’ve caused me to have a breakdown, then get me assessed the man says I need therapy and it needs to happen before they consider his return, also I have to fit the bill they refused to pay or even help, they have strand tested me 4 times because father said I was on drugs and drinking alcohol all day all came back clear, my story is endless
Ss are all corrupt took all mine made me lose baby due to undue stress caused I ad cremate it I hate them they need stop taking kids
CAFCASS forgot to do safeguarding checks with Tower Hamlets Social Services in time for my first court hearing resulting in me getting no contact with my son for an additional 17 weeks. The Judge apologised to me for their admin error. Tower Hamlets Social Services had infact been the organisation who told my ex to allow direct contact with my son in March.