International child abduction cases up 81%

Child abduction is a “growing problem” with the number of reported cases up by 81 per cent over the last nine years, ministers warned today.

Full story: The Independent

Widower loses court fight to annul divorce from late wife

A husband attempting to have his divorce annulled even though his wife has been dead for more than two years has had his legal bid dashed.

Full story: Evening Standard

Domestic violence victim seeks bedroom tax judicial review

Woman who lives with son in three-bedroom house with fortified loft has been told she will lose some of her benefits.

Full story: The Guardian

Benefits cap will have catastrophic effect on families, court will hear

Vulnerable families challenging £500-a-week cap say it may force victims of domestic violence to return to their abusers.

Full story: The Guardian

Some government efforts on domestic violence 'are virtually meaningless'

Women's organisations say positive action in some areas of government is undermined by Department for Education.

Full story: The Guardian

Japanese Parliament paves way for ratification of Hague Convention on Child Abduction

Japan is assured of ratifying the Hague Convention on Child Abduction by March 2014 after the Lower House of the Japanese Parliament approved the necessary bill on 22nd May.

Full story: Family Law Week

EU-wide protection for victims of domestic violence to become law

Draft regulation should be adopted by Council of Ministers in June.

Full story: Family Law Week

Associations criticise care placement decision making

Independent foster care and children’s home bodies have come together to call on local authorities to use third sector providers to reduce inappropriate care placements.

Full story: Children & Young People Now

Nine in 10 children born to cohabiting couples this year will 'see parents split by the time they are 16'

Nearly nine out of ten babies born to co-habiting parents this year will have seen their family break up by the time they reach the age of 16, says a study.

Full story: Daily Mail

Ministers write to local authorities about housing benefit changes and foster carers

Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform in the Department for Work & Pensions, and Edward Timpson, Children and Families Minister in the Department for Education, have written a joint letter to local authorities about the housing benefit under-occupancy rules and their impact on foster carers.

Full story: Family Law Week

Councils rise to minister's challenge on care leaver support

Nearly two thirds of local authorities are providing care leavers with grants of at least £2,000 to help them set up home after children’s minister Edward Timpson called on them to boost levels of support.

Full story: Children & Young People Now

Rotherham council apologises over way it handled removal of children from Ukip foster parents

A council has apologised over the way it handled a decision to remove three Eastern European children from foster parents who were members of Ukip.

Full story: The Independent

Gay marriage: Final reading in Commons

The government's same-gender marriage bill is to receive a third and final Commons reading after surviving resistance from Tory opponents on Monday night.

Full story: BBC News

Maria Stubbings murder: IPCC report prompts inquiry call

The family of a woman murdered by her ex-partner are calling for a public inquiry into how complaints of domestic violence are handled.

Full story: BBC News

Huge rise in fixed fees for family and probate

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of solicitors offering fixed fees for probate and family work, a report for the legal services consumer panel has found.

Full story: Solicitors Journal

Top family judge urges earlier involvement of local authority lawyers

Local authority lawyers need to get involved earlier – advising and assisting their social work clients – than is often the case, the President of the Family Division has argued.

Full story: Local Government Lawyer

A fairer child maintenance system for a country where paying for your children is 'now the norm'

New official statistics on the proportion of separated parents who are paying for their children through the Child Support Agency.

Full story: GOV.UK

Revised Public Law Outline comes into effect on 1 July 2013

In the second edition of Sir James Munby's 'View from the President's Chambers', he has confirmed that an interim version of the revised Public Law Outline will be published at the end of May 2013 and will come into effect on 1 July 2013.

Full story: Family Law Week

Gay marriage bill returns to Commons

Plans to legalise same-gender marriage in England and Wales return to the Commons later, amid continuing opposition from some Conservative activists and MPs.

Full story: BBC News

Elena Ambrosiadou wins legal battle with ex-husband Martin Coward over software

High Court judge says hedge fund tycoons gave ‘tainted’ evidence in fight for spoils of marriage.

Full story: The Independent

Divorcee keeps overpayment of pension made as part of divorce settlement

The Pensions Ombudsman has determined that a divorcee need not repay to Scottish Widows an overpayment secured in her divorce settlement as a result of an incorrect transfer value provided by the pension scheme administrator.

Full story: Family Law Week

First ever chief social worker for children and fast-track training to lead social work reform

Education Secretary Michael Gove today announced the appointment of a children's chief social worker and a new fast-track training programme for top graduates.

Full story: GOV.UK

Gay marriage: Review of civil partnerships possible but not until 2019

Ministers have said they are prepared to review whether civil partnerships should be extended to heterosexual couples but not until 2019.

Full story: BBC News

Funding for foster care recruitment boost unveiled

The government has today unveiled a new package of support to help local authorities attract and retain more foster carers from a wider range of backgrounds.

Full story: GOV.UK

Stopping poor quality and time-wasting expert evidence in family courts

New national standards to raise the quality of experts used in family courts were announced by the Government today.

Full story: GOV.UK

DWP’s child maintenance data is ‘misleading’

Gingerbread has today criticised the government’s reports of its own success in collecting child maintenance as ‘misleading’, after the DWP launched a consultation on new reporting standards.

Full story: Gingerbread

Ministers seek to cut £50m legal aid bill for expert witnesses in family courts

Ministry of justice says it wants to introduce new standards to ensure only highest calibre of evidence is permitted.

Full story: The Guardian

Social work evidence to carry greater weight with Court of Protection

Court expected to revise guidance to make it clear it will accept mental capacity assessments from social workers, and not just from doctors, psychologists or therapists.

Full story: Community Care

Councils to be allowed to delegate looked-after children work

The Department for Education proposes changes to the law to allow local authorities to delegate work for looked-after children to external organisations.

Full story: Family Law Week

Child maintenance now being paid in four out of five cases

For the latest quarter, maintenance had been collected or arranged by the CSA via the statutory maintenance service on behalf of 921,000 children.

Full story: Family Law Week

College sounds warning on fostering-for-adoption plans

Government plans to speed up the adoption process could undermine efforts to place looked-after children with family members and potentially harm child welfare, The College of Social Work has said.

Full story: Children & Young People Now