Submission to the Department of Justice`s Family Justice Oversight Group, 2021

We were invited to make a submission to the Department of Justice`s Family Justice Oversight Group on the family law system in Ireland and the reforms required.

Our submission focused on the following:

• Optimising the Delivery of Family Justice including the use of modern technology and additional support services
• The place of mediation in the family court system including consideration of the issue of obligatory mediation and educating court users on the benefits of mediation
• The role of civil legal aid in the family court system including its application to other forms of dispute resolution i.e. arbitration, collaborative law and non-court based solutions
• The family courts including priority of cases and the need for professional supports; and
• The voice of the child including how to incorporate the voice of the child in proceedings, how to make the new family justice system more child-friendly and keeping children informed on the operation of the family court system.

Read our submission in full here.