Family courts in England and Wales ‘not good enough’ for women and children, minister says

Alison Levitt says changes will ‘rebalance’ a system she believes has long failed to treat women fairly. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

Family courts are “not good enough” and have treated women and children unfairly for decades, a government minister has said.

Announcing a major overhaul of the family justice system in England and Wales that will play a central role in “rebalancing” the family courts, Alison Levitt said often brutal legal showdowns will be replaced with a “problem-solving”, child-focused model.