Finding the Right Support: One Size Doesn't Fit All

• Date: 01 July 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12425
• Published date: 01 July 2019
• Author: Rosanne Cubitt

INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT FAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITY

FINDING THE RIGHT SUPPORT: ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL

Rosanne Cubitt

Support for families in the context of separation and divorce has evolved significantlyover the last 30 years in the UK. There

is growing acceptance that “one size doesn’tfit all”—families need different support at different times, and often a combina-

tion of services. Relationships Scotland, a network of 21 Member Services, is able to customize and integrate support to meet

the needs of each particular family at any stage of relationship difficulty. This article describes the impact of tailored support

for one family, as an exampleof the potential benefit of community-based, integrated, and flexible support provision.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:

Community based and integrated support services allow for customised provision and deliver positive outcomes for

children and families.

Learning from innovations and partnership working promotes a responsive and creative service provision.

The specific legal, governmental, cultural and geographical context impacts on the success of interventions.

Keywords: Contact; Divorce; FamilyLaw; Mediation; Scotland; Separation.

I. FAMILY SUPPORT IN SCOTLAND

Support for families going through separation and divorce has evolved significantly over the last

30 years in the UK. Scotland, with its distinct legal, governmental, cultural, and historical context,

now benefits from an innovative blend of services provided by the Relationships Scotland network.

New initiatives have been developed to support the legal and court processes and to fill gaps in ser-

vice provision. In response to the recognition that no one size, or service, fits all, and that each fam-

ily is unique, Relationships Scotland offers a tailored package of complementary support that better

meets the needs of children and young people and promotes their best interests.

A. THE LEGAL CONTEXT

The UK adversarial court process, which can result in one party arguing its case against the

other, can often leave children in the family caught in the middle. When disputes over children

spending time with each parent come to Scottish cour ts, they are generally heard in child welfare

hearings, which are intended to be more informal and problem solving in approach than traditional

court hearings. Although there are some specialist family judges, most cases are heard by judges

who are not specialists in family work. Concerns have been raised about the effective management

of cases in the civil courts, particularly when there are domestic abuse issues, and the Scottish

Government is consulting on a wide range of issues with a view to publishing a new Family Law

Bill and Family Justice Modernisation Strategy in 2019 (Scottish Government, 2018). The adversar-

ial context creates a win–lose mentality that sets one party against the other and is not conducive to

resolving disagreements about children’s living arrangements and parenting issues.

Correspondence: rosanne.cubitt@relationships-scotland.org.uk

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Vol. 57 No. 3, July 2019 327–331

© 2019 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts