More than 19,000 parents appeared in civil courts with no lawyer in cases about children because of issues in legal aid.  Since April 2013, many civil cases, including custody battles, have not qualified for legal aid. In 2013-14, 66,388 people had no lawyer in child civil cases in England and Wales, which is much higher than 2012-13. Legal aid helps with legal costs for people who cannot afford to pay, but  major cuts by the Ministry of Justice made cuts to legal aid last year has forced parents to represent themselves in civil court cases, including child custody battles. Source: BBC