Legal aid cuts –‘put a generation of children in danger’
www.staffsmediation.co.uk
01827 314020
It is being suggested that the withdrawal of Legal Aid for most divorce, children, and family finance private law proceedings, is likely to put children in danger, and severely reduce the number of children with contact to both parents.
The Ministry of Justice response to the allegation in the Independent Newspaper was:-
“As part of our legal aid reforms we made sure that family cases involving children at risk continue to qualify for funding. This means cases including care proceedings, the unlawful removal of a child, and child contact cases where there is a risk of child abuse or where domestic violence has been an issue will all be covered”.
As a result of the changes to the provision of legal for the family justice system, legal aid for family proceedings and general family advice was severely restricted from April 2013. For many access to family mediation, has been via the solicitor, but solicitors are no longer paid for signposting clients to mediation! We need the help of the voluntary sector if families struggling with the breakdown of relationships are going to find us!!
Since 2011, all clients wishing to issue proceedings in a family court must show that they have considered mediation, so even if the other party is unlikely to attend mediation a client wishing to issue an application will need to see a mediator. We are helping parents who will have to apply to the court without the aid of a solicitor to access the court forms and information leaflets, because we understand how daunting it can seem to do this without assistance and support. So please signpost clients struggling with family breakdown to our service.
Legal Aid continues to be available for Family Mediation, and if a client qualifies for public funding when they are in mediation they can gain access to free advice and assistance from a Solicitor. We need to make sure that the funding that is available can be accessed and we will signpost onto other agencies or solicitors where appropriate.
Please help the children of the future remain in contact with both parents whenever it is safe to do so – refer or signpost to mediation and we will do the rest.
Sue Hollywood
Mediator
The not for profit service for Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Wolverhampton
If you have a query or would like leaflets or further information please contact us
We are at the Marlene Reid Centre in Coalville and Peepul Centre in Leicester