The family courts are overstretched and have a huge backlog of listings and administrative tasks to deal with. Despite the best efforts of court staff, families often have to wait a long time to sort out what’s going to happen with their children and finances. It goes without saying that this is not ideal and adds to the stress of the situation.
Resolution is an organisation comprising 6,500 family law professionals (including our own Meinir Wyn Jones). Resolution members follow their rigorous Code of Practice to help families resolve disputes.
One of the things they do is campaign for change, including Good Divorce Week, which runs from 28 November to 2 December 2022.
During this week, Resolution will be engaging with MPs, policymakers and the public, to raise awareness about:
- The crisis in the family courts
- Different ways families can resolve their disputes away from court (where it is safe and appropriate to do so)
- How members can guide families through that process
Resolution is also campaigning for the government to fund early legal advice. If so, more cases could be resolved without having to go to court and those cases that do need to be resolved by Court can be dealt with in a timely manner.
How you can help
There are three things you can do to support the campaign:
- Share this update on your social media feeds:
I’m supporting @ResFamilyLaw and this year’s #GoodDivorceWeek (28 Nov – 2 Dec) highlighting the crisis in the courts and raising awareness of how families can resolve their disputes away from court
- Arrange to meet your MP to raise the issue of court backlogs and the serious impact it’s having on your family, especially the children. If you tell the Resolution communications team you are meeting your MP, they will share a briefing with you. Email communications@resolution.org.uk
- Share your story. Resolution is collecting first-hand experiences to use as case studies (you can opt in to allow them pass your story on to journalists, if you want). To share your story, visit Resolution > Share your story
What this means to you
Are you in the process of separating or divorcing your spouse or civil partner, or dealing with a family dispute? If yes, please click here to find out how the specialist team at Harrisons can help you.