The Bar of Ireland and the Family Lawyers’ Association (FLA) strongly oppose plans to move most judicial separations, divorce and co-habitation proceedings to the District Court.

Bar Council chair Sara Phelan SC has said the change will “only add to what is an already over-burdened District Court, often described as the A&E of the courts system”.

In a letter published by The Irish Times on Saturday, Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said “key consideration needs to be given to children’s best interests and a child-centred perspective”.

Ms Connolly wrote: “Across Barnardos services, two in five children that we support are living with parental separation. It is usually traumatic for children, with ongoing, acrimonious, high conflict being particularly harmful, with the potential for lifelong negative effects.

“Courts need both the time and the resources to hear these sensitive and difficult cases.

“We know that already there are no adequate structures for hearing the voice of children and there is a lack of provision of support services for children and their families.

“Additionally, too many children are currently left for long periods, often over a year, with great uncertainty around their own custody arrangements, where they will live and with whom, a fundamental part of their childhoods.

“It is essential that any planned changes comes with the required services and additional resources needed, otherwise an already difficult time for children will be made worse. Reforms must ensure that the best interests of the child are given due consideration and weight during cases of parental separation.”