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A senior family judge has criticised the present family court system for being out of tune with society.
Mr Justice Ryder has called for an overhaul of the system to make the courts more open and in touch with the public, the Times reports.
He described the current situation as "a crossroads in family justice" and said the courts lack the capacity to "deal with an ever-increasing volume of the most serious and complex cases in a timely fashion".
The consequence of this is that medium-risk cases are downgraded "as if we haven't got time for them", he added.
The high court judge also believes that family court judgments should be given in public, with anonymity for those involved where necessary.
This would lay the family courts system open to scrutiny, which is necessary for the public's reassurance and satisfaction, he said.
Mr Justice Ryder was a family and administrative lawyer specialising in cases concerning children at the Bar.
He is a member of the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on judicial management in public law children act cases.
