Over the next few days, and you are most welcome, whether you are joining us purely
online or whether you are online as part of the time and going to be on campus at some point.
Either tomorrow or Wednesday we very much hope that this hybrid event.
will be the start of maybe a new way of doing these things with
people being able to be on campus when it's helpful and appropriate
for them to be weathers in person and to be men at other times and.
So the focus of the Conference, as you know, is, if you could change one thing about
family law What would it be and that's in response to the law commission's 14th Program.
of Law Reform and of course we're delighted to be working with the law Commission as on this
conference, and anything that flows on from it and the conference will showcase important ideas
about family law reform from across the academic community from legal practice from policymakers.
And it's been organized with that in mind, with the broadest
spectrum of expertise and involvement, as is possible.
So today we're going to be hearing a series of proposals, the reform on in 15 minute intervals
i'm sure that will be a really thought provoking opportunity to reflect on family law now.
and also how it could be reformed to promote positive change, and tomorrow on Wednesday
we're going to be scrutinizing some of these key proposals in round table format.
And we're very grateful to those of you who are presenting reform proposals
for those of you who have been reflecting on those proposals
and will provide some provocations and some feedback and some sort of critical friend.
stimulation to get discussions going
we're grateful to those of you who will participate in the discussions
and then those of you who will come through perhaps on the margins and via the chat.
Via follow up emails and discussions
and, subsequently, and I think it's a really interesting format that should
allow some of these ideas to be worked through to their logical conclusions and.
I think it's very timely that we consider these things, and the reason that
I think it's very timely is because increasing, and we know this has been
a trend that has been happening for a prolonged period of time.
Governments have walked away from thinking about family law as the blue which keeps us all together
as a society and, increasingly, there has been.
A shift to back, maybe back towards private ordering and a shift to saying this isn't for
state intervention unless it looks like those who are vulnerable are at risk.
and risk and very particular ways, whether that's children
at risk in particular ways or vulnerable adults at risk in particular ways and.
Government has tended say we will keep out
but in doing that they've also said it's not our responsibility.
and any cost associated with people and families is one that should be borne by
individuals themselves and that has led to a whole series of intended and unintended consequences.
which we are starting to see running through in all areas of life, not just in
family law, and so I think over the next three days, this is a wonderful opportunity.
For those of you who are exceptionally knowledgeable
across all sorts of areas of family and related law.
To be able to showcase ways in which not just family law can be reformed,
but the way in which we deal with people.
As a society can be reformed, the way in which we conceive of families,
whether those are biological families or chosen families,
whether families extend to include wider kinship groups, whether or not.
and families should be supported in different ways, I think one of the things that code
and the code contacts have demonstrated to many is just how integral.
From my life is to people being able to thrive in all aspects of their world how pressures at home.
make it difficult for people to be able to give their best whether that's
give us their best in the context of.
Work whether it's given back best in the context of education, give us their best as stonewall
members of that community is offering support to others outside their families.
And so, in this three day event, I hope that the great the fabulous
interesting ideas that you have have an opportunity to be aired.
With others who knows so much about family law family justice family structures and
wider community networks and some of those can be taken forward, I hope to positive fruitful and
change for all of our benefit so.
I wish you all well over the next few days, I hope everybody has
the opportunity to say what they want to say to test their ideas in a supportive.
and positively challenging and productive context i'm very grateful to colleagues.
At at Birmingham for getting this off the ground, particularly to to Charlotte and Rehana.
A bit to the wider network of people involved in the university,
including our professional service colleagues i'm also really very grateful to all of you
who've been involved in the organization to the law commission to the speakers.
And to those who have supported them to get us to this stage and with no more ado
i'm going to hand over to Charlotte who will own
get us going properly and hopefully by now, we will also be live as well,
thank you so much, and I look forward to hearing from you over the next few days.