Family Court Reforms “rightly side-line the role of Lawyers & Counsellors” says Social Services Outcomes Researcher

“Given the 84% of respondents http://24-7.us5.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=36e1af9eecf455c7d55c15319&id=4c514b7551&e=897f3892d6 to a New Zealand Family Court Consumer survey who felt that Counselling was not helpful to them in their dispute, the 47% of consumer respondents who felt that their Lawyers were not helpful to them in their dispute, and the 54% of consumer respondents who rated their Lawyer for Child as “not competent” in their Family Court case, the outcome of the Justice and Select Committee report into the Family Court Reforms is to be largely applauded” says Steve Taylor, Director of 24-7 Ltd, http://24-7.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=36e1af9eecf455c7d55c15319&id=77b4d64c2c&e=897f3892d6 and Social Services Outcomes Researcher.

“Despite a vociferous effort by the legal profession and domestic violence industry to obfuscate, scare-monger, and intimidate the Select Committee into submission on desperately needed reform, the Select Committee has sided with the evidence as opposed to ideology, and has recognised that giving Family Court consumers increased sovereignty, ownership and decision-making via alternative dispute resolution, and keeping Lawyers at a distance from the process, gives the families involved the most likely chance of a more positive outcome”.

“The best interests of a child are best served when parents in dispute are able to more civilly collaborate towards reaching an agreement, and such a process is impossible to achieve in an adversarial process when Lawyers are involved.

While the 964 Family Court Lawyers in New Zealand will be taking a big hit in the pocket once these reforms come into Law, these reforms simply can’t come soon enough for families in crisis.

“The familial ignorance of legal commentators such as Otago University Law School Dean Mark Henaghan, and Law Society Family Law Chairman, Gary Collin on the prospects of the Family Court Reforms are simply retrospective attempts to preserve a fractured and broken status quo for the legal industry, and may be dismissed as ideological opinion, as opposed to evidentially informed commentary http://24-7.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=36e1af9eecf455c7d55c15319&id=047f9f525c&e=897f3892d6

There has been a “law of the jungle” in the Family Court for 32 years: the lions have been the Lawyers, Psychologists, & Judges, and the lambs have been the families submitted to the Family Court process, and the children who lose an average of 5 years life expectancy as a result of undergoing such a dreadful process Friedman, H., Martin, L. (2011). The Longevity Project. USA: Hudson St Press) – under these new reforms, the lions have been largely neutered and de-clawed, the lambs are lambs no more, and children’s interests are better served as a result”.

“When any system provides an incentive to abuse process, and then couples that incentive with “useful idiots” http://24-7.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=36e1af9eecf455c7d55c15319&id=8a1c68b383&e=897f3892d6 to support such a cause, then the victims of such a process are the end users of service.

As a result of the new reforms, couples in dispute are being handed two invitations: one, to carefully consider the wisdom of their care position via Mediation without Lawyers agitating and spoiling the alternative dispute resolution process, and one to financially contribute to their cause, which will assist to test the validity of same”.

“While there is no mention in the Reforms of introducing formal outcome service measures for providers of Family Court services, I am hopeful that we do not have to wait another 32 years before such measures are introduced, as those being used by the Department of Internal Affairs Confidential Listening & Assistance Service for service providers” http://24-7.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=36e1af9eecf455c7d55c15319&id=43637980d8&e=897f3892d6 said Mr Taylor.

ENDS

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