Family Court Statistics

Summary

The Department of Home Affairs responded to a request for Family Court statistics from 2018 to 2020, disclosing data on completed residency disputes, shared care requests, self-representation, and psychological assessments. Several specific queries regarding gender breakdowns of resident parents, legal aid funding details, and advocate performance were refused as the authority does not hold this data.

Key Facts

• 50 family court disputes over child residency were completed between 01/01/2018 and the date of response.
• Only 5 of these cases involved requests for 50/50 shared care, all of which resulted in shared care.
• 26 cases involved a party self-representing, split between 14 males and 12 females.
• The court ordered 2 psychological assessments for males and 0 for females.
• Court welfare officers returned requested information on time in 99% of cases.

Data Disclosed

• 50 cases
• 5 cases
• 100%
• 26
• 14 male
• 12 female
• 2 male
• 0 female
• 99%
• 5 closed cases
• 01/01/2018
• 2020-09-07
• 2020-09-24

Exemptions Cited

• Information not held by the public authority

Original Request

Please provide responses to the queries below regarding recent Family Court hearings on the Isle of Man from 01/01/2018 to date. How many Family court disputes over residency of children have occurred and been completed? Of these cases how many were requests for 50/50 shared care? What percentage of those 50/50 cases resulted in shared care, and what percentage resulted in a resident and non resident parent? What percentage of this ending up as resident parent were male and what female? How many applications for 50/50 were made by a) mothers and b)fathers How many cases involved a party self representing? What percentage of those self representing where male and female? How many of those with advocates were funded by legal aid, and what percentage of those were male and female? In total how many legal aid hours were allocated to family court cases, broken down by whether to male or females? Of the legal aid hours awarded can those figures be broken down by the representing advocate acted for the recipient? How many Phycological assessments were ordered by court. Broken down my male of female? Is it also possible to identify where Phycological tests were ordered a breakdown of who the advocate acting against the party deemed to need a test was? eg - did some advocates use this tool far more than others. When court welfare officers were appointed. How often did they return the information requested on time, and how often did their reports refer to need further professional input?

Data Tables (1)

Data Tables (reformatted)

Full Response Text

Chief Executive's Office DHA Headquarters Tromode, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM2 5AP

Telephone: (01624) 694313 Fax: (01624) 621298 Web address: www.gov.im/dha Email: GeneralEnquiries.DHA@dha.gov.im

Our ref: 1458678 24 September 2020

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 7 September 2020 and which states:

"Please provide responses to the queries below regarding recent Family Court hearings on the Isle of Man from 01/01/2018 to date. How many Family court disputes over residency of children have occurred and been completed? Of these cases how many were requests for 50/50 shared care? What percentage of those 50/50 cases resulted in shared care, and what percentage resulted in a resident and non resident parent? What percentage of this ending up as resident parent were male and what female? How many applications for 50/50 were made by a) mothers and b)fathers How many cases involved a party self representing? What percentage of those self representing where male and female? How many of those with advocates were funded by legal aid, and what percentage of those were male and female? In total how many legal aid hours were allocated to family court cases, broken down by whether to male or females? Of the legal aid hours awarded can those figures be broken down by the representing advocate acted for the recipient? How many Phycological assessments were ordered by court. Broken down my male of female? Is it also possible to identify where Phycological tests were ordered a breakdown of who the advocate acting against the party deemed to need a test was? eg - did some advocates use this tool far more than others. When court welfare officers were appointed. How often did they return the information

requested on time, and how often did their reports refer to need further professional input?"

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find some of the information that you have requested.

I have detailed below in bold the information that is held. • How many Family court disputes over residency of children have occurred and been completed? 50 cases.
• Of these cases how many were requests for 50/50 shared care? 5 cases.
• What percentage of those 50/50 cases resulted in shared care? 100% • What percentage resulted in a resident and non resident parent? 100% • What percentage of this ending up as resident parent were male and what female? Unable to answer, we do not hold this data. • How many applications for 50/50 were made by a) mothers and b)fathers – ? Unable to answer, we do not hold this data. • How many cases involved a party self representing? 26 • What percentage of those self representing where male and female? 14 male. 12 female. • How many of those with advocates were funded by legal aid, and what percentage of those were male and female? Unable to answer, we do not hold this data. • In total how many legal aid hours were allocated to family court cases, broken down by whether to male or females? Unable to answer, we do not hold this data. • Of the legal aid hours awarded can those figures be broken down by the representing advocate acted for the recipient? Unable to answer, we do not hold this data. • How many psychological assessments were ordered by court. Broken down my male of female? 2 male & 0 female. • Is it also possible to identify where psychological tests were ordered a breakdown of who the advocate acting against the party deemed to need a test was? eg - did some advocates use this tool far more than others. Unable to answer, we do not hold this data.

• When court welfare officers were appointed. How often did they return the information requested on time, and how often did their reports refer to need further professional input? 99% on time. 5 closed cases requested further professional input.

Please quote the reference number 1458678 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely