Family counselors: The initiative of the Ministry of Justice was assessed by the associated partner of Skliarenko, Sydorenko and Partners

Ministry of Justice has launched a project "Family counselors" in which active Ukrainians together with lawyers, psychologists and police personnel will help citizens obtain information on family law.

The initiative has already started to work in Kiev and Odessa. Next in line are Lviv and other million-plus cities. How effective will the implementation of such a state “startup” be? The publication of “Law and Business” asked about that associate partner of Skliarenko, Sydorenko and Partners, Yulia Stusenko.

According to the Ministry of Justice, family counselors will:

- provide information on citizens' rights;

- assist in the identification of violations of human rights in matters of family law (payment of alimony, protection from violence, recognition of parental rights);

- to disseminate information about the possibilities of legal assistance.

“The sounded functions are the direct functions of state bodies, not volunteers,” Y.Stusenko noted. “And if, for example, the Ministry of Justice, within the framework of the current structure and the state, is unable to carry out its functions, then it would be more correct from the legal side to create a structural unit of the Ministry for matters related to counteracting domestic violence.”

The fact that the assistance to victims of domestic violence, as well as other matters of family law, as before, will provide free by legal assistance centers, national police, judicial authorities and psychologists.

For example, the Law “On Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence” informing victims about their rights, the means and social services that they can use, are attributed to the powers of the authorized units of the National Police of Ukraine in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence.

"The introduction of the institute of volunteer mediators called "Family counselors" with unclear legal status, functions and powers - the wrong way", - the expert said.