Member

I have two reservations. In public law cases, they should not in any way hold up urgent applications for interim orders, particularly when the local authority may not have had time or opportunity to learn more about the family structure or dynamics. Secondly—and here I am anticipating Amendment 4—I do not consider these meetings to be necessary in private law cases. Disputes between parents, some of which are relatively minor, short-lived and easy to resolve, can be left to Cafcass and to the court at the preliminary dispute resolution hearing, which always takes place in a private law case. All too often I have found myself conducting a dispute resolution hearing and making inquiries about what help can be provided by the wider family, and it usually, if not invariably, sorts the thing out.