Couples who want to separate are to be confronted by experts about the impact a divorce would have on their children and finances.
Those who go ahead with the split will be charged a fee if they want the state to sort out child maintenance arrangements. The measures are designed to reduce Britain’s divorce rate which is among the highest in Europe, and will be unveiled by the Government this week.
Ministers are planning to adopt a programme pioneered successfully in Norway in which couples threatening to split are made to ‘think again’. Experts talk them through the consequences of a separation, focusing on the likely damage to children and the pair’s future financial success.
The policy has been credited with reversing rising divorce rates in Norway over the past decade. The Government is also expected to consult on the idea of charging parents who ask the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to sort out payments and child access arrangements.
It is hoped that this will act as a deterrent to divorce. Ministers also believe thousands more couples can sort out their own affairs and should see state intervention as a last resort.
The plans will be welcomed by Conservative Right-wingers, who are urging David Cameron to make good on his pre-election promise to put strong families at the heart of policy.
But they are likely to anger groups representing women in abusive relationships. Families minister Maria Miller is expected to announce that the CMEC will be overhauled to focus on keeping families together. At present it helps them break up, Government sources say.
Government source said: ‘The situation at the moment is intolerable. Confrontation is actually built into the system.
‘Families need to better understand the consequences of family breakdown before it happens. There’s clear evidence from Norway and elsewhere that this can bring down levels of divorce.
‘Apart from what happens with their children, the financial consequences of family breakdown are really significant.
‘We want to pull together the existing experts and charities and voluntary organisations with a proven track record in helping couples resolve their difficulties.’
Read more about this story at the Mail online.

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