Resolving Separation: How family mediation can make a difference
Family mediation offers a constructive, cost-effective way to resolve separation issues without going to court. Discover its benefits and how it works.
Family Law
Family mediation offers a constructive, cost-effective way to resolve separation issues without going to court. Discover its benefits and how it works.
Children Act applications amid conflict: The impact of the Ukraine war on Family Court decisions
The ongoing war in Ukraine has had profound consequences for families, as illustrated by the case of Re Z and X (Visit to Ukraine) [2024] EWHC 314. In this emotional case, a father applied for his children to visit him in Ukraine, despite the ongoing conflict. The Family Court ultimately ruled against the visit, prioritizing the children’s safety and emotional wellbeing. This case sheds light on how the English courts navigate the challenges of family contact in the face of extreme circumstances, like war, and the lasting effects on separated families.
Resolution Awareness Week 2023
Local members of the family justice body Resolution have welcomed new research which shows most people back a change in the law to give cohabiting people more rights. Currently, cohabiting couples have few or no rights in the event of a relationship breakdown meaning that unlike married couples there is no mechanism for splitting assets.
Top Tips to Help Separating Parents at Christmas
With Christmas fast approaching, it is important separating parents start planning early to agree their child arrangements for the festive period in advance to avoid any uncertainty and tension into the run up to the holidays. The Christmas period can be overwhelming to separating couples and emotions can run high. Issues with child arrangements can
Tougher sanctions for parents who fail to pay child maintenance
New regulations are being introduced to impose tougher sanctions on parents who fail to pay child maintenance. The government says the Child Support (Enforcement) Act will see families paid faster as it gives the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) the power to use a liability order to reclaim unpaid child maintenance instead of applying
Divorcing wife unable to force sale of matrimonial home
Usually, in financial remedy proceedings, the decision about whether or not to sell the family home (or any other property) will not be made until the final hearing. However, there could be very good reasons for a party wanting to do so prior to the final hearing. This could be, for example, if the parties
Cohabiting couples face long wait for legal protection, MPs warn
A cross-party group of MPs has warned that cohabiting couples may have to wait for several years before legal reforms are implemented to better protect their rights. The MPs have urged the government to reconsider its timetable and speed things up. Unlike married couples, cohabitants have very few legal protections if their relationship breaks down.
New move to help separating couples prioritise their children
A new course and set of resources to help separating couples prioritise their children’s needs has been launched by Cafcass on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. Cafcass is the organisation that protects the rights of children in family disputes and court proceedings. It says that when couples separate, the risk of a deterioration in
Separated couples should avoid Christmas disputes over children
Christmas and other holiday periods should be among the happiest times of a child’s life but sadly they are often marred by divorced and separated parents arguing over access rights. Tensions between couples often come to the fore at this time of year but it’s the children who are likely to suffer the most as
Divorce applications reach 10-year high as new law takes effect
The number of divorce applications has reached a 10-year high, with the sudden increase thought to be largely due to the introduction of the no-fault approach to ending a marriage. The figures for April to June 2022 show there were 33,234 applications, the highest number for a decade. Analysts suggest the increase is down to