Family
- What is family policy?
- Getting help with family legal problems
- Funding for family advice
- For more information
What is family policy?
Research shows people often experience family problems in ‘clusters’.
People seeking help with one family problem are likely to experience a range of other family problems such as:
- divorce or separation
- domestic violence
- matters relating to children
- other linked problems, particularly debt, housing and welfare benefits.
The Family section of our Civil Policy Team develops and implements policy relating to publicly funded Family law to help vulnerable people access legal advice.
Getting help with family legal problems
- Worried about benefits or tax credits?
- Having problems with your child’s school?
- Are your debts out of control?
- Are you being treated unfairly at work?
- Are you having problems with your landlord?
Community Legal Advice can help with these kinds of problems if you are eligible for legal aid.
Call the helpline now on 0845 345 4345.
Calls cost no more than 4p per minute from a BT landline but calls from mobiles are usually more. Worried about the cost? Ask an adviser to call you back.
The helpline has a translation service if you would like advice in a language other than English or Welsh.
Funding for family advice
Getting civil legal aid is dependent on a person and their case meeting a means and merits test. If these criteria are met, funding can be available for family problems including:
- divorce, separation and civil partnership dissolution
- child contact and residence
- domestic violence court orders
- care proceedings
- family mediation
- child abduction.
This is not an exhaustive list. Please contact a legal aid solicitor to find out about eligibility for public funding and to discuss a case further.
Individuals do not need to apply for public funding themselves. A solicitor, legal advisor or mediator does this on a client’s behalf.
For more information
To find out about eligibility for public funding please:
- contact a legal aid solicitor or family mediator
- visit our Community Legal Advice website.
Detailed guidance is in our leaflet ‘A Practical Guide to Community Legal Service Funding’ found on the Legal aid information leaflets page.
If we have given funding to someone you think is not entitled to it please write to your regional office, clearly marking your letter ‘Representation’.
You should provide as much information as possible and confirm if you are happy for the legally aided person and their solicitor to see your letter.
Full details of our procedure are in our leaflet ‘Representations’ on the Legal aid information leaflets page.
For more information on the Family Team’s work, please contact:
Civil Policy Team (Family)
Legal Services Commission
12 Roger Street
London
WC1N 2JL
DX: 328 London/Chancery Lane
Email: family@legalservices.gov.uk
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Last updated: 14 November 2007