Family court for separating parents: backstop or first base?

By the time you read this we may have a new government. At the time of writing it’s anyone’s guess what shape it will be, but however things turn out, I’m hopeful – rather than full of expectation – that sometime soon we can witness a sea change in how our family courts are perceived when it comes to separation and divorce.

I’m not suggesting separating parents do not sometimes need family courts to make settlements, just that our culture has elevated their role in separation way too high.

‘Backstop’. Remember that word? We used to hear a lot of it earlier in 2019! And in this election month I’m raising it again because that’s what the family court should be for separating families. A backstop. A last resort.

Nowadays in far too many cases the court has become more than the backstop that it needs to be.

Read the full article here.