Fundamental changes are needed in the family courts in order to prioritise mental health in children and parents, lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have said.

The firm stated it is vital the system has a positive and not a detrimental impact on the current and future mental health and wellbeing of the parents who seek the court’s assistance, and their children.

These calls were prompted by a consultation exercise on the existing Child Arrangements Programme (CAP), introduced in April 2014.

Since CAP’s introduction and public funding cuts, there has been a rise in the amount of litigants-in-person. During the 2017/...