Children to be given a voice in family court care proceedings

http://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/feb/19/children-to-be-given-voice-family-court-care-proceedings

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Children are to be given a greater say in family court cases when they face being taken into care or separated from a parent, the justice minister Simon Hughes will announce on Thursday.

Those aged 10 and over will be able to express views about what should happen to them in care proceedings following divorce or relationship breakdowns.

The Liberal Democrat minister, who is due to address the Family Justice Young People’s Board (FJYPB), said: “For too long, children and young people have struggled to have their voices heard during the family court process. Although they are often at the centre of proceedings, the views of children and how they feel are often not heard, with other people making vital decisions for them.

“I’ve been really impressed with the board and the arguments which its members put forward. This is why I have taken steps to make sure that children and young people from the age of 10 will be able to express their views in cases which affect them.

“Young people are some of the most vulnerable in society, and it is vitally important that we make sure they are at the heart of the family justice system.”

Last year, there were 90,000 children involved in new cases in the family courts.

Bethany Shepherd, 19, a member of the FJYPB, said: “In my case, I had to wait 4 years before my voice was heard and I was considered to be too young to know my own mind or listened to individually and simply just lumped together with my younger sister. This is far too long and meant that I spent much of my childhood fighting just to have my voice heard.”

Jo Edwards, a solicitor and chair of Resolution which represents lawyers in divorce cases, backed the change. “We support any move to ensure children’s voices are heard in the family justice system, and we’re pleased that the government is starting to flesh out how this will work in practice,” she said. “But it needs to be part of a package of measures which go beyond the courts and seek to change parents’ behaviour.”