A new report on family law cases in the circuit courts has found that seperated Fathers, and those receiving social welfare payments, suffer most.

In more than nine out of 10 cases, after a relationship between two parents falls apart, the children stay with the Mother in the home - in fact, 95% of resident parents are Mothers.

Alarmingly, Fathers on social welfare face being left with income levels below those officially marking insolvency in this country, after paying child maintenance.

And 1 in 5 men and non-nationals in particular have no legal representation, mostly because they can't afford it.

Circuit court study 

The first major survey of Ireland's circuit courts by Roisín O'Shea, has exposed a series of injustices in family law. The four-year study commissioned by the Department of Justice will be presented to Minister for Justice Alan Shatter this week. 

Among its findings, judges admitted that breaches of court-ordered access to children were a 'chronic problem' they can't act on. And a reminder that, despite the Children's Referendum last year, no child's voice has yet been heard in court.

It also finds that primary carers - mostly women - sought to 'severely restrict' or exclude the other parent from childrens' lives.

Judges also said they wanted time, and help dealing with children and parental conflict.

And they have pointed out that there is no formula for working out maintenance payments or property values.

Dearbhail McDonald, Legal Editor at the Irish Independent, told Newstalk's Pat Kenny show family law has the capacity to affect everyone, but it doesn't get enough attention: