Plan to help separated couples sort out disputes

Separating couples will be made to try mediation rather than going to court to sort out their dispute under new plans aimed at protecting children and reducing backlogs.

Parents will be required to try to agree child custody and financial arrangements through qualified mediators as part of the proposals, only taking court action as a last resort.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said the change could help up to 19,000 separating families resolve their issues away from the courtroom and that around 36,000 vulnerable families each year could benefit from faster hearings and quicker resolutions.

The plans would also help to reduce backlogs, easing pressures on the family courts and ensuring the justice system can focus on the families who need most protection, it added.

Cases involving allegations or a history of domestic violence would not be included in the mandatory mediation plan.

The proposals will be subject to a Government consultation, closing on June 15.

Justice Secretary Dominic Ra abs aid :" When parents drag out their separation through lengthy and combative court room battle sit impact son their children' s school work, mental health and quality of life.

"Our plans will divert thousands of time-consuming family disputes away from the courts - to protect children and ensure the most urgent cases involving domestic abuse survivors are heard by a court as quickly as possible."

Chief executive of the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service, Jacky Tiotto, welcomed the proposals, saying it sees "the harm to which children are exposed in long adversarial court proceedings."