Too many feuding parents 'rely' on court, says minister

Too many parents fighting over child custody use the courts as their first option to resolve the dispute, Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly has said.

He called on estranged parents to make greater use of independent mediation to resolve their differences.

There were nearly 45,000 child custody cases in England and Wales last year, costing the legal aid system £143m.

The minister, who has responsibility for courts in England and Wales, says the situation needs to change.

Mr Djanoglysays too many cases are ending up before judges."Too often people in family breakdown situations use court as a first answer when they shouldn't," he said.

"Often it's dealing with contact with children or intimate personal relationships that really shouldn't be going before the courts. We are determined to look at this."

via BBC News - Today - Too many feuding parents 'rely' on court, says minister.