Family law courts - Silence fuels ‘shambolic’ system

OUR family law courts remain a mystery to everyone except those who work in them or those who need its protection or adjudication.

Dr Carol Coulter, who is stepping down after a year- long pilot project aimed at opening up the secret workings of the courts to the public, has described the system as “shambolic”.

She reported that the courts are “overwhelmed” by work and stymied by a tremendous shortage of the resources needed to do their job.

These courts handle separations, divorce, custody of children and division of marital property, each with the potential for terrible trauma. They are made all the more so by the fact the opponents often were once utterly dependent on each other’s loyalty and affection. They very often operate in an adversarial, inconsistent and inefficient manner, according to Dr Coulter. Many of her criticisms echo those made by the Law Reform Commission 11 years ago in 1996.

After such an indictment, it would be easy to roll out the usual criticisms of inaction and indifference but, as they have shown in too many instances, this arrogant government is immune to criticism of any kind.

The point comes when we have to consider that by remaining silent we are more part of the problem rather than the solution. Pick up the phone, swamp their emails, bury them in letters, hound them at every opportunity. Make them fix it, make them do their jobs.