Family Justice

The family justice system involves so many different perspectives. From a legal point of view, there are the solicitors and barristers who provide legal advice and representation and there are the judges and magistrates who rule on cases that come before the courts. Then there are the members of the families themselves: the parents, children and other family members who are at the heart of family proceedings. The complexity of family disputes means that there are others with relevant knowledge and expertise operating within the family law system. Local authorities have responsibilities to children and vulnerable adults and individuals and there are other organisations that provide support for the parties and/or reports for the courts such as CAFCASS, social workers, child psychologists, schools and contact centres. There are family mediators who are involved in supporting parties to find an agreed path to divide a once united family into two separate units when a marriage breaks down. And, of course, there are academics across a range of disciplines who are interested in the family unit, relationships between family members, the wellbeing of those family members and the law that regulates aspects of the operation of the family unit. In essence, there is a wide range of viewpoints that can be brought together using the World Café to explore solutions to problems related to the operation of the law within a family setting