In July this year, Sir Andrew McFarlane, president of the Family Division and leading family judge said that one-fifth of marriages ended up in the divorce courts when they really shouldn’t and that generally, people think that they have a legal issue when in fact they have a relationship issue which a court can rarely solve. 

The family court is so under-resourced and overwhelmed with these numbers that there is nothing short of a crisis. Going to court should not be the first port of call but absolutely the last resort when all else has failed. All else might include just talking to each other or with help in mediation outside of court.

On the advice of Resolution (a community of family justice professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve issues in a constructive way), I have just written to my MP bringing the crisis to his attention and asking for a meeting with him to discuss it. #abetterway