Modern Families, Modern Family Justice: Supporting Family Relationships in Fast‐Changing Socio‐Political‐Economic Climates (Summary of the Report of the Consultation at St George's House, Windsor, February 12–13, 2018)

• Author: Janet Walker,Gabriela Misca,David Marjoribanks
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12438
• Published date: 01 July 2019
• Date: 01 July 2019

THE CHANGING NATURE OF FAMILY LIFE ANDFAMILY JUSTICE

MODERN FAMILIES, MODERN FAMILY JUSTICE:

SUPPORTING FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS IN FAST-CHANGING

SOCIO-POLITICAL-ECONOMIC CLIMATES (SUMMARY OF THE

REPORT OF THE CONSULTATION AT ST GEORGE’S HOUSE,

WINDSOR, FEBRUARY 12–13, 2018)

Janet Walker, David Marjoribanks, and Gabriela Misca

This summary relates to the consultation held at St George’s House, in Windsor, England, on February 2018. The attendees

came from across Europe and from the United States, and they discussed a range of initiatives designed to address the chal-

lenges in modern family justice and the changes in the social, political, and economic environments that are impacting family

life across the globe. Although the challenges are verysimilar, the approach to resolving them varies from jurisdiction to

jurisdiction. The attendees concluded that there is much we can learn from each other, and that greater cooperation between

family justice professionals across geographic boundaries would be highly beneficial.

Keywords: Digitalization; Family Justice Consultation; Interdisciplinary Cooperation; Modernization in Family Law;

Parenting Programs; Relationship Support; Role of Judges in Family Courts; Voice of the Child.

I. INTRODUCTION

This article summarizes the key inputs and messages deriving from the consultation hosted by

Relate and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) at St George’s House. This

consultation sought to promote shared learning and cooperation within Europe, and with the wider

AFCC family. The following articles in this Special Issue develop the themes discussed at the con-

sultation and we summarize them here.

The consultation was framed in the context of changes in family life across Europe, which mirror

extensive changes throughout the Western world. A background paper was shared with the partici-

pants to set the scene for the discussions. This paper is elaborated on the next article of this issue

(Marjoribanks and Walker). The paperdrew attention to the following facts: partnershipsand par-

enting practices in the twenty-first century are influenced by social, cultural, and economic changes

on a global scale; the challenge facing most countries in the West is how to facilitate conditions that

foster strong family relationships; an emphasis on strengthening adult couple relationships is

increasingly evident in many European countries and elsewhere, including in the United States,

Australia, and India; and, children thrive best when they are brought up infamilies characterized by

consistent care, which has important implications for practitioners and family justice processes.

During the consultation, the focus was on a number of key questions:

What is the current state of family justice and relationship support policies and practices

in Europe?

Correspondence: profjanw@yahoo.co.uk

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Vol. 57 No. 3, July 2019 301–312

© 2019 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts