Through a glass darkly: the uncertain future of private law child contact litigation

Abstract

The system in England and Wales for dealing with disputes over child contact after parental separation is facing potentially huge changes from the reforms proposed by the Interim Report of the Family Justice Review and the government plans for the slashing of legal aid in private law cases. Research on the current system is used to explore the possible impact of these reforms on the use of the courts, the effectiveness, efficiency and outcomes of court processes and litigant satisfaction.

Keywords:

• Child contact
• legal aid
• Family Justice Review