Family Law
The recent illegal removal of a child from the care of its mother by Nottingham Social Services highlights the need for families to have access to specialist legal representation in such situations, the Association of Lawyers for Children (ALC) says.
However, ALC co-chairman Alistair MacDonald says current government policy is making it increasingly difficult for parents to find specialist family lawyers locally to represent them when social services seek to remove their children.
He says: “The government’s legal aid reforms mean the number of family lawyers available to represent the most disadvantaged families is in decline.”
A recent ALC survey shows the reforms are forcing nearly a fifth of respondents to leave the profession, of which more than half were the most experienced legal practitioners, and that 40% were intending to reduce or had reduced the amount of legal aid work they do for parents and children. MacDonald says: “What would have happened in this case if the mother had not been able to find a family lawyer to take the case before a judge so that the right decision could be made? As we have repeatedly said, a legal aid scheme that reduces the number of specialist family lawyers able to represent children and families is bad for children, bad for society and bad for the country as a whole.” He says the judge’s decision in this case shows the family justice system works effectively to promote and safeguard the welfare of vulnerable children.
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