The Children's Act 1989 is to be amended by the Government in a move designed to ensure that divorced fathers get to spend more time with their children.
A ministerial group is working on a plan which may include a "presumption of shared parenting" as part of the amendments.
The proposed changes are part of an overhaul in family law which is being described by the Law Society as one of the "most important" legal changes in more than 20 years.
At present family courts generally decide that children in a divorce should remain living with their mother. Fathers are then granted limited access, along with a maintenance order to provide for the children's upbringing. This means that at present around one in every three children grows up with an absent father.
The plan to amend the law relating to access to children for divorced fathers will be unveiled on Monday of next week (6 February). If it proceeds as expected, then it will fly in the face of the Norgrove review into family justice, which reported in November last year that it would be too onerous on judges to try to ensure greater equality in parenting.
The ministerial group looking into the matter comprises of education ministers Tim Loughton and Sarah Teather and the justice minister Jonathan Djanogly. They have been given two months to propose how the existing law could be changed in a workable fashion.
Speaking about the matter, Mr Loughton said: "Where cases do end up in court, we believe it is important that children don't lose contact with their parents, unless there are concerns about safety or welfare."
"But there is a familiar picture in the UK of parental separation leading to thousands of children losing meaningful contact with the 'non-resident parent' which is usually the father," he added.
"It is right that we consider all the options to help ensure that children can continue to have an ongoing relationship with both their parents after separation."
Related links:
Read more on the story (The Guardian)
Section 8 residence and contact orders (FindLaw)
Find local family solicitors throughout the UK (FindLaw)
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