Private family cases involving children are down by 36%, according to Cafcass which represents children in family court cases.
In July 2014, Cafcass received 2,928 new private law cases, down from 4,542 for the same period the previous year, leading to fears that parents are “giving up” on the court system.
Resolution, the national organisation of family lawyers, says there has been a huge rise in unrepresented parties in family proceedings since the dismantling of family legal aid accelerated last April with the introduction of the Legal Aid and Sentencing of Offenders Act. Resolution says that 19,000 more parents appeared in civil courts with no lawyer in cases about children in the year after legal aid cuts began to bite.
Simon Bethel and Simon Blain, Resolution children committee members say: “These results may show that parents are not finding their own way through the maze of options regarding their children when they separate, or that the extra hurdle of a compulsory, expensive MIAM (mediation information and assessment meetings) is proving too much for many couples. Rather than receiving expert help to try and secure working shared care arrangements for their children, they are giving up.
“This drop in court applications could mean that there are more separated families where children are needlessly missing out on a relationship with one of their parents, which has long term repercussions for the child and for their family.”
