Blog

Barnardos has issued a statement following the release of figures by Cafcass, the children's court advisory service, which show that the number of applications from local councils to take children into care in England has exceeded 10,000 for the first time.

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the 'divorce' settlement paid to a gay man after the break up of his civil partnership should be reduced by over £200,000, reports the Independent.

Don Gallagher, an actor, and Peter Lawrence, an equity analyst, had lived together since 1997, and entered into a civil partnership in 2007. Their relationship broke down seven months later.

The charity Family Rights Group has warned that family and friends carers are not receiving adequate support from local authorities to help them raise some of the country's most vulnerable children.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has carried out a recent survey into cohabitation, marriage and divorce in America, reports Yahoo! News.

The study found that around half of first time marriages break up within 20 years. The research also found that engaged couples living together before marriage were no more likely to get divorced than couples who got married before they moved in together.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in the case of Gas and Dubois v. France that the refusal to allow a woman to adopt her same-sex partner’s child was not discriminatory.

The applicants, Valérie Gas and Nathalie Dubois, are French nationals who have been cohabiting since 1989.

The government has begun a consultation exercise, seeking views on how to lift the ban on same-sex couples marrying in a civil ceremony.

A new report by think tank Policy Exchange has claimed that non-resident fathers on benefits should be made to work if they refuse to take financial responsibility for their children.

Six major children’s charities have joined together to voice concerns that children will be denied access to justice in proposed changes to legal aid.

The home secretary has announced that police forces in Greater Manchester, Gwent, Nottinghamshire and Wiltshire are to pilot a new domestic violence disclosure scheme (DVDS).

The Office for National Statistics has recently published a bulletin giving provisional annual statistics on marriages and civil partnerships that took place in England and Wales in 2010.

Ofsted has warned local authorities that, under new adoption inspection arrangements, they will only be able to achieve an ‘outstanding’ judgement if they ensure all children identified for adoption are placed within twelve months. These new arrangements will be implemented in April this year.

A new arbitration scheme has been launched to enable family disputes to be resolved without going through a formal court process.

A recent study by researchers at Michigan State University have found that divorce at a younger age hurts people’s health more than divorce later in life. According to Hui Liu, the author of the study, the findings suggest older people have more coping skills to deal with the stress of divorce.

A recent research project in America has found that a 'good divorce' is almost impossible to achieve, in terms of the impact divorce has on children, reports the Daily Mail.

Nagalro, the professional association for court guardians, has welcomed the government’s commitment to reducing delay in the family justice system, but has raised concerns that the proposals may harm children’s interests.

The Law Commission has announced that it is to carry out a review of two aspects of the law that entitles married couples and civil partners to claim financial provision from one another on divorce or dissolution of their partnership.

The government has published its response to the recommendations of the family justice review panel, in which it outlines proposed reforms to tackle delays, streamline processes and rebuild trust.

In this two-part article Richard Gregorian and Gavin Emerson of Gregorian Emerson Family Law Solicitors explain the difficulties with the arguments relied on by critics of Payne v Payne and explain why the focus in defending these critically important proceedings should be on ensuring due process.

A commercial litigator presents a highly personal view of some perceived procedural and evidential flaws in leave to remove / international relocation cases, borne out by his own experiences in successfully defending an application through the family courts.

An article by Richard Gregorian, principal of Gregorian Emerson Family Law Solicitors (www.gelaw.co.uk) and Gavin Emerson, Brief Strategic Therapist.