The Fostering Network has claimed that the current care system places too much emphasis on avoiding risk, and as a result is preventing foster carers from helping children in their care to have a full experience of family life.
Family Law News
New poll findings from YouGov commissioned by charities Grandparents Plus, the Family and Parenting Institute and Family Lives have revealed that 74% of adults in the North of England think grandparents and other relatives bringing up a child should receive practical help from their local council, and 63% think they should receive a financial allowance.
A recent Office for National Statistics publication has given details on the number of children in need in England during 2011-12.
A recent statistical release from the Office for National Statistics on trends in family structure has revealed that;
Barnardo's has launched the Government’s first Charter for Care Leavers.
A recently published report has revealed that levels of demand for child protection and care services continue to rise nationally, and a majority of directors fear that pressures will continue to rise in future years. Local authorities are having variable amounts of success in using early help services to reduce demand on child protection social workers.
Members of the House of Lords have debated the key principles and purpose of the Inheritance (Cohabitants) Bill, which is a private members' bill aimed at making significant changes to the rights of a cohabitant in the event of their partner’s death.
Recent data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that there were 723,913 live births in England and Wales in 2011, increasing slightly (by 0.1%) from 723,165 in 2010.
Children from single parent families are growing up in poverty as successive governments fail to make work pay and tackle single parent unemployment, reports Gingerbread. The charity has launched a three-year campaign calling on the government to take action to help single parents escape unemployment and working poverty.
All EU Member States, with the exception of Belgium and Italy, have now ratified the Hague Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in Respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children.
Government figures have revealed that the number of applications for domestic violence remedies in the second quarter of 2012 was almost unchanged from the same period in 2011.
The Family Law Bar Association has issued a comment on the retirement of Sir Nicholas Wall as President of the Family Division and Head of Family Justice for England and Wales on the 1st December.
Eight charities have joined forces to launch an inquiry into how best to provide stable and permanent homes for children in England who cannot live with their birth families.
Figures published by the Department for Education this week have revealed there are now more than 50,000 children living with foster families in England on any given day.
Resolution, the national family law association, has recently published the results of a survey, which shows that four out of five people believe putting children's interests first should be one of the main considerations in a divorce. Around 53% thought that making the divorce conflict-free should also be a priority.
The Government has announced a new cross-government definition of domestic violence, which will include victims aged 16 and 17.
Adopting and fostering will become a faster and more efficient process thanks to new arrangements for approving carers, Children’s and Families Minister Edward Timpson has announced.
Recent research has detailed the costs of meeting the minimum basic needs of a child in 2012.
Single parent charity Gingerbread has claimed that around 100,000 parents stand to lose an average of £6 a week due to a little known technical change to the child support assessment system.
A recent UK based survey into the reasons why couples divorce has found that disputes over household chores were the cause of divorce for 30% of couples polled, reports the Daily Mail. Infidelity caused 40% of marriage breakdowns, and drifting apart 35%.