Project to defuse family tensions is given guarded welcome by lawyersPILOT SCHEME: service must be tailored to individuals needs, says SFLA chairwomanFamily lawyers have given a cautious welcome to proposals from the Lord Chancellors Department to form the Family Advice and Information Networks (FAIN) pilot scheme...Family lawyers have given a cautious welcome to proposals from the Lord Chancellors Department to form the Family Advice and Information Networks (FAIN) pilot scheme.

The plan which will start in October 2001 with 10 as yet unselected solicitors firms in five areas aims to provide people with family problems access to services such as legal advice, mediation, counselling and general information.

The pilots will also build on the work being undertaken by the Solicitors Family Law Association (SFLA) and the Law Societys family law committee in developing protocols for use in various family cases.

Rosemary Carter, chairwoman of the SFLA, said: In principle, this scheme is a good thing, as, for the majority of divorcing couples, their first point of reference is a solicitor anyway.

Ms Carter stressed the importance of the service being tailored to individuals needs, and for it being available when people wanted access.

One of the main problems with the information meetings [part of the ill-fated part II of the Family Law Act 1996 which was scrapped late last year] was that they were very structured and took no notice of individuals needs.

The key to success for this system is flexibility.

Peter Watson-Lee, chairman of the Law Societys family law committee, also welcomed the proposals.

He said: It is excellent news that the government seems to be listening to research reports produced on mediation, the information meetings, and family law.

All of these came to the conclusion that rather than aggravating the situation, solicitors very often helped it immeasurably.

l The Lord Chancellors advisory board on family law this week published a consultation paper on the facilitation of arrangements for contact between children and non-residential parents and the enforcement of contact orders.

Links: www.open.gov.uk/lcd Victoria MacCallum