Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Accepted
Paragraph: 95
Family justice requires urgent cross-government attention to improve support for separating couples.
Recommendation
The Committee welcomes the Deputy Prime Minister’s willingness to consider bold solutions in family justice. It is an area of the justice system that needs the Government’s full attention. Just as with the criminal justice system, it is vital that the ministers responsible for family justice work across Government, for example with the Minister for Children and Families, to develop policies that can help improve the support for separating couples and their children.
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, confirming that Ministers for Family Justice and Children and Families jointly chair the Family Justice Board to ensure cross-system reforms, and highlighted an £82 million investment for a network of Family Hubs in 75 local authorities to integrate family services and relationship support.
Paragraph Reference:
95
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees that strong inter-departmental working is crucial to effectively supporting separating couples and their children. The Ministers for Family Justice (MoJ) and Children and Families (DFE) jointly chair the Family Justice Board, which regularly meets to discuss, develop and ensure the implementation of cross-system reforms within the family justice system. The Board is also attended by key operational agencies and the President of the Family Division attends as an observer. We are also working closely across departments to ensure that earlier support and intervention is available for separating couples and their children. In the recent spending review, the Chancellor announced £82 million for a network of Family Hubs in 75 local authorities to integrate family services and strengthen relationship support. The Ministry of Justice is working closely with DfE to ensure that Family Hubs signpost separating parents to out of court options such as mediation and to explore other ways that the family hubs network can improve support for separating parents/carers and their children. DWP operates a Reducing Parental Conflict scheme that supports parents to reduce conflict that is below the threshold of domestic abuse. DWP have published reports on the programme and some interventions show promising results, particularly in embedding parental conflict support into wider services for children. The programme has been delivered through local authorities and the Ministry of Justice will be working with DWP regional integration leads to raise awareness of mediation vouchers and other support for parents/carers and children such as mediation and parenting courses.