Parenting support charity, Families Need Fathers, has welcomed the government’s response to the Family Justice Review as a clear step forward for private family law in the UK.

Families Need Fathers agrees that disputes about parenting arrangements are best settled out of court, and supports the Government’s proposals to increase the frequency and strength of private family arrangements.

However, there will always be a sizeable minority of intractable cases where court becomes unavoidable, and it is in these cases that today’s recommendations mark a positive development for the family justice system. Key proposals include the intention to introduce a legislative statement on the importance of children having an ongoing relationship with both parents following separation wherever possible, and a desire to strengthen enforcement sanctions where court orders are breached.

Ken Sanderson, CEO of Families Need Fathers, commented: “This is not a question of equally dividing time, but of ensuring that children get to benefit from the full involvement of both parents following family breakdown. We support the Government’s belief that developing legislation emphasizing the importance of both parents in a child’s life is complimentary to the welfare needs of the child, and hope that this will be the beginning of a process of reform that will see the development of a family justice system fit for the needs of children and their families.”

Other important proposals include the replacement of ‘contact’ and ‘residence’ orders, which encourage a ‘winner takes all’ mentality in private family law disputes, with ‘child arrangements orders’, which are more child focused. However, the decision to continue requiring grandparents to apply for permission before they can make an application to court to see their grandchildren indicates that there is still work to be done to ensure that the rights of children to a relationship with their wider family are adequately protected.