Edward Cooke co-authors new Family Solutions Group report

24 March 2026

Edward Cooke spoke at the launch on 12 March 2026 of ‘Putting Children First: The evolving role of the family law professional’, the new report from the Family Solutions Group.

Edward co-authored the report with Charlotte Bradley, Senior Consultant at law firm Kingsley Napley, and fellow Committee member of the Family Solutions Group.

‘Putting Children First’ calls for greater focus on child welfare when parents separate, and the creation of a Commissioner for Separated Families, to provide coordinated oversight throughout the family separation space and to ensure children’s rights and needs are represented and prioritised.

With speeches from Edward and Charlotte, as well as Lord Justice Cobb, Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, and Sir Simon Hughes, former Liberal Democrat Justice Minister, the evening celebrated the launch of the new report and addressed the need for change in the way the work of family law professionals is approached.

Among the speakers was Shakira, who gave a first-hand account of her experience of her own parents’ divorce and the impact not only of the divorce, but the actions of the family law professionals involved, had on her.

Edward commented:

“The launch of the report is the culmination of months of hard work from my co-author Charlotte Bradley and I, as well as other members of the Family Solutions Group. It sets out a blueprint for much-needed changes to the family law system, to achieve real change for both separating couples and the children involved in the process.

The impact of high conflict separation and divorce has long-term ramifications. We set out within our report practical recommendations in respect of family law professionals (including in respect of their training, supervision and their roles and responsibilities)  so that they can support separating couples resolve matters in a less adversarial, manner, following a problem-solving approach.

The support for and feedback on the report has been overwhelmingly positive, representing a groundswell of support for this new approach. We hope very soon to see a Commissioner for Separated Families, as we have recommended in the report, to ensure the momentum that is building comes to fruition.”

Further content will follow here on the detail of the report and next steps. In the meantime, we congratulate Edward, Charlotte and the rest of the Family Solutions Group on the publication of this important report.

You can view the recommendations in full here and read the report here.

About the Family Solutions Group

Every year, around 280,000 children see their parents separate in the UK. How those separations are handled will affect the rest of their lives.

The Family Solutions Group (FSG) is a multi-disciplinary group with practical experience of working with separated parents and their children outside of the court arena, set up in early 2020.

A voluntary, not-for-profit group with a shared set of values and aspirations, the Family Solutions Group focus on the needs and rights of children whose parents live apart as well as their separated parents.

Find out more on their website familysolutionsgroup.co.uk