Family law court must be reformed around unique needs of children – Ward

Our family law court system must be reformed to take the unique vulnerabilities of children into account, the Fine Gael Justice Spokesperson in the Seanad has said.

Senator Barry Ward said: “We need to ensure that proceedings in family law courts involving children are dealt with in a manner that recognises their particularly sensitive nature. When families face difficulties that have to be resolved in court, it is very traumatic for the children involved.

“Ireland is one of very few developed countries that doesn’t have specialised courts to deal with legal family matters, meaning that cases are often listed in District Courts with criminal and civil cases.

“While all family law cases must be heard in camera, busy courthouses are a very public setting and there are rarely private areas for lawyers to discuss sensitive matters with their clients.

“It is high time a new Family Law Court building was built in Dublin and we must ensure that court facilities across the country are suitable for family law hearings, so that these matters can be heard separately from other cases.

“The Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee of the Reform of Family Law System, which was published towards the end of last year, made almost 40 recommendations across the area of family justice.

“One of the key recommendations of the Committee is the establishment of a dedicated and integrated family court within existing court structures.

“I am glad that the enactment of legislation on the establishment of a family court is a commitment in the Programme for Government.

“I can confirm that the Department of Justice is currently preparing the general scheme of a Family Court Bill, which will be brought to Government for approval to draft shortly.

“The proposals in this scheme are a result of a broad consideration as to the best means of providing access to various family law mechanisms available to those families involved in private family law cases,” Senator Ward concluded.

ENDS