Britain | Family division

Britain’s family-court system is overwhelmed

The justice system is leaving children in limbo

An illustration showing a child sat on the edge of a large gavel.
Image: Manddy Wyckens
|Leeds

Child x is a polite and articulate teenager, his solicitor told the judge. He is grateful to his carers for looking after him and is settled in their home. The boy understands, the lawyer went on, why the local authority believes he should see his mother once a month rather than more often, as she had requested. But he would like it to be known that he would prefer to live with her, because he misses her.

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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Family division”

From the October 28th 2023 edition

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