Vulnerable children are victims of legal funding cuts, experts say

Full Article: http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/news/archive/2009/march/10/08.htm

Barristers involved in the family justice system say changes to the legal aid budget are putting families and children at 'grave risk'
The legal system for protecting vulnerable and abused children is at ''breaking point'', experts say, because of repeated cuts in government funding of cases.
Barristers involved in the family justice system - most of whose work involves cases with allegations of domestic violence and abuse - say changes to the legal aid budget would put families and children at ''grave risk''.
A report published yesterday found that government proposals to cut fees by more than half would cause an exodus of experienced barristers and an increasing reluctance to take on the most complex cases.
''Government policies are driving skilled advocates out of the family justice system, leaving the most vulnerable in society exposed to miscarriages of family justice,'' said the Bar Council chairman, Desmond Browne QC.