socialmedian: Rise in divorce actions puts extra strain on children, solicitors warn

Add News Flash

User-submitted headlines for this story

Clips

Rise in divorce actions puts extra strain on children, solicitors warn

Source: guardian.co.uk Society

Nov 09, 2009

Summary

• Legal system 'clogged with emotional disputes'
• Family court welfare service facing backlog

The number of divorce and separation cases being fought in the courts that involve children has risen, with £151m of legal aid money being spent on litigation, according to figures released today.

The distress experienced by children whose parents are divorcing is cause for increasing concern, experts say, as the rising number of cases places a further burden on the struggling family court system.

Research by solicitors Mishcon de Reya shows that more than half of parents going through divorce and separation went to court to challenge issues relating to their children. Figures from the Legal Services Commission, which manages the government's legal aid budget, show last year's costs rose more than 5% on 2007.

Lawyers say the rise in divorce cases is alarming and putting further strain on the court system, already under pressure from an increase in care proceedings after the Baby Peter case.

"The court system is becoming more and more clogged with litigants who are fighti

...Read the full article

Comments (0)

Add Your Comment