‘There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.’ Nelson Mandela’s words were brought to life at a recent event in Westminster where the Family Solutions Group (FSG)—a multi-disciplinary group set up in 2020 to look at how family separation impacts on children—urged the government to help thousands of children whose mental health is put at risk when families separate.
The Attorney General, Suella Braverman QC, joined Paddy O’Connell from BBC Broadcasting House, Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, MPs, judges, academics, family lawyers and other professionals last month to hear the voices of children caught in the middle of parental conflict, because their parents ‘square up’ in acrimonious court battles rather than ‘sit down’ and seek an amicable solution. Child X, for example, said: ‘My mum and dad spend so much time hating each other they don’t have a lot of time to love
