Financial disputes can be decided out of court by an arbitrator although this is not everyone's cup of tea (or arsenic). I discuss this alternative to court proceedings in Breaking Law at pages 479-481 inc. This week the financial scheme has been extended to cover private law disputes (so not those between local authorities and carers) concerning the welfare of children.
The disputes will usually be between parents over which of them is to be the principal carer, what arrangements for contact there should be and whether the principal carer should be allowed to relocate with the children to somewhere else in England and Wales away from the home of the parent who has contact.
Arbitration should be quicker than court but you will have to pay out for it. I'll be back with how much the bill is likely to be.
