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.
I’ll start from the beginning I brought the daughter of my eldest threes mum as my own kid as her dad didn’t want her but when she hit 12 she went off the rails I warned her boyfriend if he brought her back drunk and drugged up again I’d hurt him which he brought her back in the same state the night after so I punched him next thing I was arrested for sexually abusing her it was all proved lies even the police said all her statements wer different monthes after she admitted she’d made it up to get back at me after a year the eldest kids mum threw me and the kids out I have many text from her saying she Dosent want the little basterds she never did any mother things for them from birth I then became a single dad of my kids who was 3,5 and 7 there mum was my accountant and destroyed my buissines but I moved away and rebuilt a new buissines I was a single dad of them for 10 years I met the mum of my young er kids and she wanted kids to me we had two then well I was working I needed a babysitter which my sister said she’d do so thought my kids would be safe with family but my nephew sexually abused all three of my older children which I blame my self for my daughter started cutting her wrists and my son was steeling very large amount of money off me and handing it out in the school I went through hell had to search her pocket every day for sharp objects and her bedroom stay awake as long as I could every night to listen if she was moveing around in her room finding suicidal letters every day and not knowing if I was going to find her Corps in the morning 3 year I begged for help lost count of how many ss worker came and went I’d see them once then nothing I’d ring to see what was happening with the same response every time there’s no child welfare concerns I was taking her to Cambs but they said to stop and bring her back when she’s ready to open up the mother of the youngest two was not much use as she was a drunk aand was out most weekends cheating but I took it as didn’t want my kids to be apart a new ss worker came when we moved to a different area we didn’t get on she said I’d failed to keep my kids safe failed to take my daughter to Cambs and I was emotionally abused my son by punishment for stealing I 1 met that ss worker in the hospital well my daughter was haveing her wrists sorted when she walked in she said she didn’t know the case so I said my daughter had been sexually abused then was asked where’s mum so I said she’s not around she’s not interested in the kids the next day the ss worker turnd up at home with her manager and said I have to leave the home for a short time or they’d get a court order to take the kids in to care so I went thinking it’ll not be long it’s been over a year now the week I was away the ss worker took my three eldest to there mum of which I have no number address or any contact information the mother of my youngest had been seeing someone else for a while so moved away with him iv lost my kids my home my buissines everything I lived in my car most of this year I’m sorry but it was too much losing my kids so last Christmas night I hung my self some one found me police and paramedics brought me back so now the ss are useing that one against me as well as playing on my deafness they wanted me to do a video conference 2 hour sessions or six weeks which I did as all I want is my kids they twisted everything I said adding bits I never said still don’t k ow why they had a two hour conversation about my sex life the end result of it all was they said I fail to keep my kids safe I’m a cross dresser gay danger to woman and kids why I don’t know there no record of me been involved in DV ever if I was a danger to children why did I bring my kids up for ten years on my own I didn’t want them to be sexually abused I thought they was safe with family and where the cross dresser and gay bit comes from I do not know the ss worker did as much as she could to push me over the edge even the nurse in the hospital I was in said it my youngest two have now been sexually abused as well as there mum gave them to some one the whole village had warns us about to not trust the 1st I knew about that was the ss rang and sai because I have parental right they’d to tell my my youngest two had been sexually abused then they hung up I’m not interested is scoreing points against any one I just want my kids there all that matters to me I don’t know where any of them are or anything about them