Divorce party hit for £334k costs after ‘blatant dishonesty’

A High Court judge has made clear that his costs judgment against a dishonest party should act as a deterrent to others considering deceiving the court.

Full story: Law Society Gazette

High Court judge praises social worker’s ‘outstanding contribution’ to radicalisation case

A high court judge has praised a social worker’s handling of  a case in which a 16-year-old girl attempted to fly to Syria to join ISIS after being “fully radicalised”.

Full story: Community Care

Businessman wins divorce spat over vintage cars worth £20 million

The man's estranged wife laid claim to some of the 35 cars which included a 1928 Bentley racer and a Ferrari worth more than £5 million.

Full story: The Telegraph

Resolution invites members to participate in research into no fault divorce

Study should inform debate as to how the law might be reformed.

Full story: Family Law Week

40% decrease in number of children waiting to be placed with adopters

Average period between entering care and placement falls from 656 to 594 days.

Full story: Family Law Week

Woman made foster daughter kneel in scalding water

Judge at private hearing in Blackpool family court says foster parents, who made racist comments when giving evidence, had treated girl with ‘cold contempt’.

Full story: The Guardian

Family justice review: special guardianship orders

Research on the effect of the family justice review on the use of special guardianship orders (SGOs).

Full story: Department for Education

Family justice review: the effect on local authorities

Research on the effect of the revised public law outline (PLO) on the practice and processes of 6 local authorities.

Full story: Department for Education

Long-term separated parents: developing support to encourage child maintenance arrangements

This report explores barriers to child maintenance arrangements for long-term separated parents and related support interventions.

Full story: Department for Work and Pensions

Rise in divorce cases signals mediation failure

A continuing rise in the number of new private law cases could signal that not enough divorcing couples are being channelled towards mediation, family law organisation Resolution has said.

Full story: Law Society Gazette

Oil trader given jail term over divorce dispute

An oil trader has been given a 21-month jail term by a High Court judge who concluded that he had broken promises after agreeing to pay millions of pounds to his former wife following the breakdown of their marriage.

Full story: Yahoo News

New £3.2 million domestic abuse fund now open

Local authorities can now bid for a share of a new fund to support the victims of domestic abuse.

Full story: Family Law

Child whose parents played too many video games 'removed from family home'

Social Services said to have believed their obsession with gaming amounted to neglect.

Full story: The Telegraph

Jail for ‘professional’ McKenzie Friend who defrauded clients of thousands of pounds

A ‘professional’ McKenzie Friend who targeted people unable to claim legal aid and then defrauded them of thousands of pounds has been jailed for three years.

Full story: Legal Futures

Court of Appeal re-states approach to implacable hostility cases

Father’s appeal is dismissed in 'tragic outcome'.

Full story: Family Law Week

Supreme Court to consider 1996 Hague Convention appeal

J (A Child) (1996 Hague Convention) (Morocco) to be heard in November.

Full story: Family Law Week

Wealthy four times more likely to marry than the poor

Marriage is increasingly the preserve of the rich, with fewer couples from poorer backgrounds tying the knot, new figures show.

Full story: The Telegraph

Big rise in over 18s staying at home with foster families

A record number of vulnerable young people are choosing to stay with their foster parents past their 18th birthdays, official figures suggest.

Full story: BBC News

Judge dismisses LIP's bid to get solicitor jailed

A litigant in person has failed with an attempt to have a solicitor acting for his ex-partner sent to prison.

Full story: Law Society Gazette

Bethnal Green pupil's passport to be held over 'risk of travelling to join Isis'

Court official to take document of unnamed girl, 16, believed to be close friend of four pupils from academy that have already left UK to join Islamic State in Syria.

Full story: The Guardian

Circuit judge criticises LAA for lack of help

The Legal Aid Agency has been criticised for its unhelpful cooperation in determining who should bear the cost of translating documents during court proceedings.

Full story: Law Society Gazette

Grandparents take to the courts in droves to assume parental control

Last four years has seen an almost 50 per cent increase in the use of Special Guardianship Orders.

Full story: Solicitors Journal

Holman J calls for amendment to standard form Location Order following arrest of mother on plane

Guidance given regarding need for particular care in wording of location orders.

Full story: Family Law Week

Father seeks to challenge FGM protection order

Counsel says that a port alert may prevent him putting his case.

Full story: Family Law Week

Similar midlife health outcomes for those in married and non-marital cohabiting relationships

Women who marry in late 20s or early 30s have best health in midlife.

Full story: Family Law Week

Ofsted publishes ‘state of the nation’ statistical picture of children’s social care provision

Ofsted has published data for children's social care in England 2015.

Full story: Family Law Week

B&Bs never suitable accommodation for homeless children and young people, Ombudsman warns

Bed and breakfast accommodation is not suitable to house young homeless people – even in an emergency – the Local Government Ombudsman is reiterating.

Full story: Family Law Week

Diplomat shunned daughter and 'threatened to kill' grandchild

Case brought by local authority after young mother taken into care after being harassed by her father – an envoy from an unnamed Commonwealth country.

Full story: The Guardian

Latvian child must be adopted in the UK, judge rules

A Latvian girl should be adopted in the UK, despite objections from her mother and the Latvian authorities, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Full story: BBC News

Enforce family court orders but don’t jail debtors – Society

The Law Society has called for simpler procedures to enforce family financial orders and said creditors should be armed with more information.

Full story: Law Society Gazette

Care applications in July 2015

In July 2015, Cafcass received a total of 1,111 care applications.  This figure represents a 9% increase compared to those received in July 2014.

Full story: Cafcass

Cafcass private law demand

In July 2015, Cafcass received a total of 3,554 new private law cases.  This is a 23% increase on July 2014 levels.

Full story: Cafcass

Adopted girl wins right to return to biological family after abuse

‘Highly exceptional’ ruling allows 14-year-old who was abused by adoptive couple’s relatives to revert to legal status of birth family.

Full story: The Guardian

Mediation service sees calls to its helpline double in past year

Staff at National Family Mediation have seen the number of calls to their telephone helpline more than double in the past year.

Full story: Family Law Week

Kid’s Company closure raises concerns over children’s charities more generally

The Observer reports that other charities supporting vulnerable children are on the verge of closure in the wake of the demise of Kid's Company and BAAF.

Full story: Family Law Week

Judicial review of councils’ compliance with Children Act s 22C(5) placement duties to be heard

Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers granted permission.

Full story: Family Law Week

More divorcing couples turning to mediation, provider says

More couples seeking a divorce are turning to mediation, according to the largest provider of family mediation in England and Wales.

Full story: Law Society Gazette

Local authorities’ assessment of children in need has improved

Children and families 'receiving the right help and support at the right time' more often.

Full story: Family Law Week

Court of Appeal rejects ‘gender based assumptions’ in leave to removal appeal

In a judgment issued today the Court of Appeal has distanced itself from, what some have described as, an antiquated and gender discriminatory approach to leave to remove cases that has inadvertently been adopted since Payne v Payne [2001] 1 FLR 1052.

Full story: Family Law Week

Mother could lose thousands of pounds in divorce case after wooden spoon 'incident' with teenage daughter

A mother could lose thousands of pounds in a divorce case after she was prosecuted over an 'incident' involving a wooden spoon and her teenage daughter, the High Court heard.

Full story: Daily Mail

Judges considering fate of children as young as two amid radicalisation fears

Counter-terrorism officer says cases involving 12 families had been prompted by indoctrination concerns or fears children could be taken to Isis strongholds.

Full story: The Guardian

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards caseloads reach record level

Councils breaching legal timescales for Dols assessments in large number of cases, official figures show.

Full story: Community Care

Social work delays can put children at risk, says Ofsted

Vulnerable children in England could be at risk because of delays in social workers' assessments of the care they need, Ofsted has said in a report.

Full story: BBC News

New standards unveiled for children and family social workers

Isabelle Trowler, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, has announced a new set of standards for senior social work supervisors and leaders of child and family social workers.

Full story: Family Law Week

Social worker's report may as well have been in foreign language, Judge says

A judge has expressed fury over the lack of plain English in a report by a social worker in a family court case - warning that the failings are more than 'linguistic pedantry'.

Full story: The Telegraph

British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) closes with immediate effect

The British Association for Adoption and Fostering has announced that it has closed and that some of its functions have transferred to children's charity and adoption and fostering agency, Coram, and to a new entity, CoramBAAF Adoption & Fostering Academy.

Full story: Family Law Week

Adopted boy taken off white couple to grow up with black aunt he had never met

Judge removed child from white parents to grow up with black aunt he had never met.

Full story: The Telegraph