Welcome to another week.

The Nuffield Foundation has just published its research looking at the impact on parties of having to choose grounds for divorce before being able to process a divorce application.

Their report, which was produced by Professor Liz Trinder, Caroline Bryson, Susan Purdon, Penny Mansfield and Lester Coleman, suggests that the current divorce process encourages dishonesty, causes unnecessary pain and suffering for children and their families and ultimately undermines the aims of the family justice system. The research calls on the government to implement no fault divorce, which is broadly favoured by family lawyers and legal groups such as Resolution.

Amongst some of the report’s findings, is that being forced to choose a ground for divorce leads to parties having to exaggerate claims about bad behaviour or adultery. This, the Nuffield Foundation suggests, invites partners to lie and sets the tone for more dishonesty throughout the process. The report’s researchers go on to call for a complete rehaul of the divorce process.

Our question this is week then, is just this: what else inside the system do you think encourages dishonesty, not just between parents but family professionals too?

You can read the report in full here. 

The Commons Library also has a Briefing Paper on No Fault Divorce.