Family Law News

Recent research by single parent charity Gingerbread has found that thousands of families could be helped out of poverty if there were a greater number of effective child maintenance agreements in place.

Rising unemployment, and growing substance misuse, neglect and mental health issues are leaving already vulnerable families at breaking point and frontline support services struggling to pick up the pieces, warns a new report by Action for Children.

The latest court statistics released by the Ministry of Justice show that fewer domestic violence applications or domestic violence orders were made between April and June of this year than in the same period last year.

Justice Minister Jonathan Djanogly met mediators and divorcing couples in Liverpool last week, to see for himself how new mediation rules were working.

The Department for Education has released statistics showing a 2% increase in the number of children in care, combined with a 5% decrease in the number of children who are adopted.

Tax breaks for marriage are backed overwhelmingly by the British public, according to a new opinion poll commissioned by an independent think-tank.

Unhappy couples in Mexico City may soon be able to end their marriages without going through a divorce, reports the Guardian.

Advocacy for disabled children and young people can lead to considerable improvements for them and their families, yet many are missing out on this vital support, says a new report from The Children’s Society.

The characteristics of mid-life have seen big changes over recent decades, according to a report published by the Office for National Statistics.

The Government has announced that it will start consulting next spring on legalising same-sex marriages, reports the BBC.

New survey results show that almost half of single parents currently using the Child Support Agency – as polled by charity Gingerbread - could not afford to pay the fees proposed to access the new child maintenance service.

The Government has announced that it does not intend to implement the Law Commission's recommendations for reform of cohabitation law during this parliamentary term. The Law Commission had recommended that a new scheme of financial remedies be introduced for cohabiting couples that separate.

A children's charity has expressed concerns that the Government's proposed legal aid cuts will lead to at least 6,000 vulnerable children being excluded from receiving the legal support they desperately need.

Victims of domestic violence will struggle to receive vital unemployment benefits, as they will need to provide written evidence of their abuse from the same charities and refuges that are being cut or closed as a result of government spending cuts, warns the TUC. 

Grant Thornton's eighth annual matrimonial survey of family lawyers has revealed a continued increase in prenuptial work, with 58% of respondents saying that they had seen an increase in volume. Around 59% of those surveyed said that they expected further increases in volume over the coming year.

Relationship charity, Relate, is urging people to get help sooner for their relationships after recent research revealed that 44% of people who called the charity’s helpline had waited over two years to get help.

Rising divorce rates in China, and an increasing tendency for women to marry for materialistic reasons, has prompted the Chinese Supreme Court to make a controversial reinterpretation of the country's marriage laws, reports the Telegraph.

Recent figures from the HM Courts and Tribunal service have revealed a sharp rise in the number of care and supervision orders being heard by the family courts, reports the Law Society Gazette. There have also been record numbers of care applications made to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass).

Research in America has found that couples that fight or argue a lot at the start of their relationship are likely to continue having high levels of conflict throughout their marriage. 

UK charities Gingerbread and Barnardo’s are highlighting research evaluating the Child Maintenance Options Service which supports their concerns around Government proposals to charge parents up to £100 for access to the Child Support Agency (CSA).