Leading the way to faster resolutions and a more child-centric family court system

• The Task: Our family law partner, Maria Ramon, supported a groundbreaking Government-led pilot scheme – Pathfinder – at Birmingham’s Family Court
• The Challenge: Pathfinder’s aim was to speed up the family court system, improving outcomes for families and protecting children, especially in cases involving domestic abuse
• The Outcome: The scheme was extremely successful and new Child-Focused Courts, also known as Pathfinder Courts, are being rolled out across England and Wales

The Challenge

Invited onto an implementation group by the Ministry of Justice, Maria Ramon worked alongside a team of professionals in the family court system in Birmingham and further afield.

Her role involved providing feedback from solicitors and mediators to the working group and identifying key challenges that would need to be addressed to ensure Pathfinder worked in practice.

To speed up court proceedings, she recommended that solicitors front load court applications, providing judges, social workers and Cafcass officers with as much information as possible, including any concerns of domestic abuse, so appropriate consideration and support can be provided at an early stage.

Maria provided training to mediators. solicitors and barristers about the process, alerting them to potential issues and how to resolve them. The training also covered how to work collaboratively to ensure Pathfinder’s success. She also gathered feedback from solicitors and mediators, which was providedto the implementation group and the lead judge.

The Solution

The specialist insights and feedback provided by Maria Ramon at Anthony Collins contributed to the success of Pathfinder in Birmingham.

Working as part of a Government-led implementation group, she advised on what would work and what wouldn’t work for solicitors and mediators, always with the aims of protecting children and improving outcomes for families in mind.

Front-loading court applications and giving judges access to comprehensive information at an early stage has helped to speed the way to resolutions, bringing benefits for families and children. Placing the child’s voice at the centre of proceedings is another important outcome, ensuring their wishes are accurately represented in court.

Maria’s experience as an accredited family mediator, working with children and adults, often in very challenging and emotionally charged situations, was highly valued by the Pathfinder implementation group.

The Impact

The Pathfinder pilot scheme was highly successful in Birmingham, which is one of the biggest and most diverse family courts in England and Wales.

Where the pilot took place, cases in the family court system were resolved seven and a half months quicker.

The new court model developed by the implementation group places the child’s voice at the centre of proceedings and improves outcomes for families. Front-loading court applications allows judges, social workers and Cafcass officers to consider detailed information at an early stage. As a result, issues can be addressed earlier and resolutions achieved more quickly, bringing benefits for families and children.

The Government is rolling out Child-Focused Courts, or Pathfinder Courts, across England and Wales.