Re: Summer 2015 | Page 31

Resolution Manifesto Significant changes needed to family law to improve the lives of separating and separated families Divorce and separation are issues which directly affect hundreds of thousands of people in England and Wales every year. They are a fact of modern life. However, our laws are anything but modern, with the current laws around divorce and separation often acting as a barrier to finding constructive outcomes. A family justice system needs to: •  rovide support through relationship p breakdown •  ut children first by helping separating p parents to work together in the child’s best interests •  rovide a fair and long lasting outcome p on relationship breakdown •  rotect all those at risk of harm and p sufferers of domestic abuse So how can this achieved? Resolution, the national body for family law in England and Wales, have launched a Manifesto setting out what the next government should do in order to improve the lives of separating and separated families across England and Wales. The Manifesto identifies six key areas where changes are needed to our family justice system: 1.  rotect vulnerable people going P through separation 2. ntroduce measures to keep divorce I out of court 3. ntroduce a Parenting Charter to I help parents understand their responsibilities when they separate 4. Allow people to divorce without blame 5. Give people more financial clarity on  divorce 6.  rotect couples who live together who P aren’t married Resolution are calling on politicians to tackle problems that successive governments have neglected to resolve. Launching the Manifesto is just the beginning – in the months following the General Election, once Resolution know the make-up of the next Government, they will be making a concerted effort to secure change on these important issues. According to the latest official 7FF