Challenges in the family justice system

That this House regrets the ongoing failures that continue to permeate the family justice system; acknowledges the debilitating effects that family breakdowns have upon parents and children, as well as the complexities and difficulties in fairly mediating disputes over custody; notes the profound impacts of procedural delays, administrative failings, and a flawed contact arrangement system on non-resident parents’ ability to maintain substantive relationships with their children during proceedings in instances whereby doing so poses no immediate threat to those involved; expresses concern that, on average, public law and private law cases last 36 and 41 weeks respectively, despite the existence of a statutory requirement that public law cases be completed within 26 weeks; further expresses concern over excessive caseloads faced by Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service practitioners, and the resulting impact on service quality and the wellbeing of children; further notes the lack of advice and legal aid made available to litigants, which creates further delays and increases the likelihood of an unfair verdict being reached by virtue of one parent’s having limited access to justice; calls on the Government to provide sustained investment necessary for the family justice system to eliminate existing backlogs and improve training and retention; urges the Government to restore and expand the legal aid made available to litigants in private family law cases; and further urges the Government to introduce targeted reforms that embed child-centred practice across the family justice system and ensure timely, fair and safe outcomes.