Family law review criticised for views on child access

The family law review led by David Norgrove at the behest of the Conservative party has come under criticism for maintaining the stance of favouring mothers over fathers when it comes to child custody and child access after a divorce.

There had been hopes in some quarters that the review would lead to increased rights for fathers so that they would be on an equal footing with mothers after a divorce and that custody would be shared. However, the failure of the report to recommend legislation for shared parenting or to even acknowledge the importance of the role of the father in the life of a child after divorce has attracted heavy criticism from groups such as Families Need Fathers and Fathers 4 Justice. The campaign director for the latter group, Nadine O'Connor, called the review "a monstrous sham and a bureaucratic exercise in improving the efficiency of injustice."

Groups representing the interests of grandparents also criticised the family law review, saying the Conservatives did a u-turn on a pre-election pledge to secure more access for grandparents to see their grandchildren after a divorce. The report even went a step further by saying that some grandparents can be divisive after a divorce as a result of their desire to spend time with their grandchildren.

The review however says calls for decisions on child custody and access to be taken from the point of view of the "best interests of the child" as opposed to "the rights of the adults".

Lenore Rice, a solicitor specialising in family law and divorce at Wilson Nesbitt solicitors in Northern Ireland commented:

"Settling child custody and child access after a divorce is a very difficult process, and often both the father and mother disagree considerably on what is the best outcome.

"Parents who focus on the children involved and creating a stable and nurturing new life set-up for them tend to deal with this aspect of the divorce better."
If you live in Northern Ireland and require legal advice about a divorce or child custody matter contact one of our specialist family law solicitors by email at family@wilson-nesbitt.com or by calling 0800 840 9292 .

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