A four-week open consultation has been launched on the future of the family-justice system, through a process informed by establishing how people have experienced the existing system.

The consultation is looking for input on ways to modernise and improve the family-justice system for users, and is part of planned substantial reforms under the Justice Plan 2021.

Modernisation

Hildegarde Naughton (Minister of State with special responsibility for civil and criminal justice) said she was fully committed to the process of modernisation, for the benefit of all.

“The establishment of a family court and a transformed family justice system is one of the major elements of Justice Plan 2021.

“This consultation process will support the Family Justice Oversight Group, which is chaired by the Department of Justice, as it drafts a family-justice strategy to help us bring about these much-needed reforms.

“If you have come into contact with the family-justice system, please share your experiences with us, good or bad, and help us decide what a future family justice system might look like. We are interested in hearing about all types of experiences – whether you were involved in court proceedings or not,” she said.

The next stage of the consultation will take place later this summer and will, for the first time, seek the views of children and young people.

Young people 

“Children and young people have unique and important experiences of the family-justice system,” the minister said.

"A separate consultation will be carried out with them later this year to capture their experiences – the first time the Department of Justice has sought the views of children as part of a family justice consultation.”

Family justice encompasses a wide range of family issues including:

• Separation and divorce,
• Access, custody, and maintenance matters,
• Guardianship,
• Child care, protection and welfare matters,
• Domestic violence, and other family-relationship issues.

The public consultation is open from today for four weeks, until 11 June. It can be accessed on the Department’s website.

The Family Justice Oversight Group comprises representatives from the Departments Justice; Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; and Public Expenditure and Reform; as well as the Courts Service, the Legal Aid Board, and members of the judiciary.