05 October 2012

Media release: for immediate release

Government decision on interim Family Court counselling sessions

Relationships Aotearoa welcomes the Government decision to fund more than one session of relationship counselling through the Family Court while it establishes the Family Dispute Resolution Service.

The Government had originally signalled it would reduce the number of Government funded sessions from six to one during the interim period.

Regulations have this week been introduced that state the number of sessions will be reduced to three from January 1, next year.

We cautioned against limiting the number of sessions to one for safety and professional practice reasons, Acting Chief Executive Shenagh Gleisner says.

“We are pleased that our concerns around offering just one session have been addressed.

“With the reduction from six to three sessions, Family Court counsellors and their clients will face the challenge of developing robust parenting plans within a tighter time frame.

“Relationships Aotearoa supports many aspects of the proposed reforms to the Family Court. For example, the principles of keeping couples out of court are sound, better information for separating couples is important, and increasing penalties and protections in the area of family violence are welcomed.

“We look forward to participating in the Select Committee process when the new legislation is introduced to the House,” Shenagh Gleisner says.

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