Let's Get Honest! Absolutely Uncommon Analysis of Family & Conciliation Courts' Operations, Practices, & History

** A  tradename for a specialty lawyers’ association:  “Solicitors Family Law Association,” formed only in 2004. Rather than call attention to what type of professionals, the focus is redirected to a values statement:  “Resolution,” perhaps also as an abbreviated expression of the international push, here too, for “ADR” that is, “ALTERNATE Dispute Resolution.”

I was just following some policies (and AFCC trainers) across the pond.  This is where it led.

ADR Group (1993), I.D.R. Europe (1989, incl. its recent demise and sale to ADR Group), Family Mediation Council (only 2015), the Civil Mediation Council (2014), and lastly, Resolution – Family First.** (2004), all ‘Ltd.’  Basically  ‘AFCC Across the Pond,’ with Significant Interpretation Help from Beta.CompaniesHouse.gov.UK) [Written Feb. 2, Published Oct. 22, 2018]. short-link ends “-8yb.” Just about 6,200 words (and that link is: Beta.CompaniesHouse.gov.UK).

Since on this blog I so often use the four-letter acronym “AFCC,” or post its materials on Alienation Prevention, Collaborative Divorce, Parenting Education nonprofit “Kids’ Turn” (San Francisco- former; San Diego — current) and so forth, I figured it’s time to take another webshot for any “newbies” to this blog or that terminology. You’ll see some “AFCC” screen shots further down on the post.

In this post, I discovered through use of the above UK-based companies lookup page, and comparing one to another, as contrasted with the impressions given by the very large, and mutual-reference organizations, that they are:

~ Typically smaller than it would seem for such a “national” and “premier” accreditation/services council or company name. ~ For most, more recent than I expected, which may explain why I didn’t hear about them until recently.

The fast-startup and quick networking also shows pre-existing common interests (interdependent relationships) and understanding of how to move fast, move assets & ownership from one place to another (in the case of ADR Group/I.D.R. Europe and of the only recent (2015) incorporation of the Family Mediation Council with its six membership organizations.

These “membership organizations” it seems are in fact part of the “guaranteeing” entities (as in, “Private Company Limited by Guarantee”) and the guarantee is rather small — only 10 GBP each, and as to limitation of the liabilities of individual directors, to only 1 GBP each also.

Regarding the comparison to AFCC — there are parallels in the difference between claims and size/ start-dates of operations, not just: apparently aligned goals; expanding the field continually; promoting specialty professions – particularly mediation– of privately negotiating OUT of the courts, all kinds of “disputes” covering all kinds of “relationships,”  but there are strategic differences in how companies are recorded, organized AND in how governments help promote or fund them, cross-country.

There are also strategic differences within between countries in how much they tax their citizens, how “nationalized” their industries and public systems are, and, of course, forms of government and judicial + court systems, along a spectrum at one end of which, there is MORE individual choice and freedom, and another, there is LESS, despite and in spite of plenty of class differences within each country, too.  Some forms of governance are more intrusive, aggressive, and burden the public more for “services” than others respective to how citizens’ voices can be and are heard than others.

Speaking as a U.S. citizen who in my fifties and sixties has been dealing with the transformed “family court systems” post-Internet, post-PRWORA, post-9/11 (World Trade Towers, NYC + Homeland Security, Patriot Act, etc.) and following continued pressure to erode basic individual rights under the law “for the cause” as well as, in the case of the USA, post-“faith based initiatives” Executive Order (2001), “Family Justice Centers” (2003ff) and the Family Justice Center Alliance, and ongoing marriage/fatherhood promotions…and speaking as a woman, and a mother, if this, including the “new, revised” family court systems I and my offspring were just dragged through, a gauntlet / marathon, and come to find, in hindsight, in part from the push to “end welfare as we know it” incorporating major (and often wrong) assumptions about men (as fathers), and women (as mothers), represents “liberty and justice for all” and “government by the consent of the governed,” or even moving TOWARD it as opposed to AWAY from it, I’d like to see how.

Flag of the United States of America (from Britannica.com)
I think this country has among the most to lose (still) IF the standards are diluted to better align with a country we originally fought two wars AGAINST (1700s, 1800s), and at least one world war WITH (1900s), yet women didn’t even get to vote until the first quarter of the 1900s. It’s also not too much of a secret that it’s been prosperous, it has a large geographic span (though not the world’s largest obviously) and plenty of revenue-producing population.

~ ~ ~ ENCLYOPEDIA BRITANNICA — ON THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA ~ ~ ~

Looking for either a good visual or a good description of the extent of (my) country based on land mass/geography only, I didn’t find a one, however, (of all places), the Encyclopedia Britannica article on the US says it’s the fourth largest in the world, after Russia, Canada, and China.  The article also talks, respectfully I feel, about its prosperity (and the basis for it), dramatic diversity in both population and terrain, and about the government — how it was the first to separate from its European colonizer and to have a constitution delegating sovereignty — a BIG deal — to the citizens, not the government.  So I’ve included several quotes.

BUT this post began, and remains, information on UK-based, Family-Court (primarily but not exclusively) aligned organizations and how they are networking there.  And, at points, how this interacts with associations and aligned professionals in the US and admits to the same…
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