Family Court not taken seriously

Family courts have lost authority and are not being taken seriously by litigants, a high court judge has warned. Speaking at the Association of Lawyers for Children annual conference last week, Mr Justice Coleridge said the courts were “shirking our responsibility to a degree which is bordering on abusive” by placing too much emphasis on the “sacred cow” of the views of children.

“In short the population do not generally take our decisions seriously enough and do not obey the orders promptly and fully.” This “attitude”, he explained, led to “ever more hearings and ever more interventions” by guardians, social workers, Cafcass officers and child experts, which was costly in time and money.