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| Families in meltdown, judge says | Families in meltdown, judge says |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A senior family court judge is to attack the government over what he says is an "epidemic" of family failure. | |
| In a speech, Mr Justice Coleridge, 58, a Family Division judge for England and Wales, will say "wholesale collapse" is pushing children into drugs and crime. | In a speech, Mr Justice Coleridge, 58, a Family Division judge for England and Wales, will say "wholesale collapse" is pushing children into drugs and crime. |
| He will say urban family life is "in meltdown" and the government is doing too little to address the problem. | |
| The government defended its record on the family and said most children were "safe, healthy, and achieve well". | The government defended its record on the family and said most children were "safe, healthy, and achieve well". |
| 'Rome burns' | 'Rome burns' |
| In a speech in Brighton to lawyers from Resolution, formerly the Solicitors' Family Law Association, the judge will warn of a "cancerous" increase in broken families and say the government must take "comprehensive action". | In a speech in Brighton to lawyers from Resolution, formerly the Solicitors' Family Law Association, the judge will warn of a "cancerous" increase in broken families and say the government must take "comprehensive action". |
| Almost all of society's social ills can be traced directly to the collapse of the family life Mr Justice Coleridge | Almost all of society's social ills can be traced directly to the collapse of the family life Mr Justice Coleridge |
| He is expected to say the collapse is at a scale and severity that would have been unimaginable even 10 years ago. | He is expected to say the collapse is at a scale and severity that would have been unimaginable even 10 years ago. |
| "What is certain is that almost all of society's social ills can be traced directly to the collapse of the family life," he will say. | "What is certain is that almost all of society's social ills can be traced directly to the collapse of the family life," he will say. |
| However, Mr Justice Coleridge, who heads family courts in the south west of England, will not criticise single parents directly. | However, Mr Justice Coleridge, who heads family courts in the south west of England, will not criticise single parents directly. |
| "I am not saying every broken family produces dysfunctional children but I am saying that almost every dysfunctional child is the product of a broken family. | "I am not saying every broken family produces dysfunctional children but I am saying that almost every dysfunctional child is the product of a broken family. |
| "And what is government doing to recognise and face up to the emerging situation? The answer is: very little and nothing like enough. | "And what is government doing to recognise and face up to the emerging situation? The answer is: very little and nothing like enough. |
| "It is fiddling whilst Rome burns." | "It is fiddling whilst Rome burns." |
| A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Families and Schools said: "We do not agree that there has been a breakdown in the family - 70% of families are headed by a married couple... | A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Families and Schools said: "We do not agree that there has been a breakdown in the family - 70% of families are headed by a married couple... |
| "And a recent BBC poll suggests that three-quarters of people in Britain are optimistic about the future of their families, 24% higher than when the same question was asked in 1964." | "And a recent BBC poll suggests that three-quarters of people in Britain are optimistic about the future of their families, 24% higher than when the same question was asked in 1964." |
| She added the government had pledged more than £250m to develop local services for parents in England, focused on those in "challenging circumstances". | She added the government had pledged more than £250m to develop local services for parents in England, focused on those in "challenging circumstances". |
| David Laws, the Liberal Democrat children, schools and families spokesman, said the judge was highlighting trends dating back at least 20 years. | David Laws, the Liberal Democrat children, schools and families spokesman, said the judge was highlighting trends dating back at least 20 years. |
| "This government is not the source of the family breakdown problem but policies such as the operation of tax credits have made it more difficult for some families to bring up children in stable, two-parent households," he said. | "This government is not the source of the family breakdown problem but policies such as the operation of tax credits have made it more difficult for some families to bring up children in stable, two-parent households," he said. |