27.02.13 – Birmingham has been identified as the worst place in Britain to live if you want your marriage to survive.. More from this article here
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£750m of unclaimed Gift Aid
30.01.13 This recent article highlights £750m of money that could be Gift Aided to charities is not being claimed. The difference Gift Aid makes to charities can be substantial, money that otherwise remains with the Government. Read on and please do support us by donating – download our GiftAid2013 form now.
Mediation could spell end of Divorce Day
It’s the time of year when bickering couples turn to solicitors but ministers say there is an alternative to courtroom clashes Telegraph 07.01.13
App developed by DWP to aid separating parents
The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a web app, called “Sorting out Separation”, featuring an innovative and interactive tool, which offers parents personalised advice and shows where they can access further support. Sorting out Separation is a one-stop-shop for any parent going through a separation. It seekd to cover everything from how to avoid a separation to coping with the emotional impact of breaking up, accessing legal or housing support and arranging child maintenance. The web app will be hosted by a range of family websites. Follow the link to see the whole article. 04.12.12
Children’s experience of parental separation: research challenges law change proposal
26.11.12
Shared parenting presumption is misguided, say authors of new study
Government plans to amend the 1989 Children Act by introducing a presumption of shared parenting are well-intentioned but misguided, say the authors of new research into childhood experience of family break-ups.
Courts should retain their current discretion to put the needs and wishes of individual children first when considering contact disputes between parents, say researchers, who have surveyed the opinions of hundreds of young adults with experience of family break-up.
Anti-stalking legislation has come into force
26.11.12. The new section 2A introduces a new offence of stalking. A person will be guilty of committing this new offence if that person pursues a course of conduct in breach of the prohibition on harassment in section1(1) of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and the course of conduct amounts to stalking. This new offence carries a maximum six month sentence. Full article
Lawyers braced for post-recession surge in divorces
30.10.12 Lawyers are preparing for a possible surge in the divorce rate as the economy moves out of recession.
One law firm said it had seen a 30 per cent increase in new cases in the past year, suggesting that unhappy couples who had put off a split because they could not afford it were now reconsidering.
JMW Solicitors said the rise mirrored a sharp drop in new inquiries about divorces it saw in the wake of the financial crisis four years ago.
The figure echoes predictions from other family lawyers but represents some of the first clear evidence that a large rise could be on the way.
Official figures show that a general downward trend in divorces continued for the first two years of the downturn but then rose by five per cent in 2010 to 119,589.
Although final figures for 2011 have not yet been released, case numbers from Ministry of Justice suggest that the rate will be close to that in the previous year. continue to full article.
The 2012 Cost of Family Breakdown Index – £44 billion and counting
16.10.12 The Relationships Foundation has published the results of its fourth annual Cost of Family Breakdown Index (sometimes referred to in the media as the ‘Family Failure Index’). the 2012 total cost of family breakdown to the UK was almost £44 billion, up nearly £2 billion from last year. The annual cost per taxpayer is now £1,470.
The index looks at the cost of family breakdown in the five key areas of public policy: Tax and Benefits, Housing, Heath and Social Care, Civil and Criminal Justice and Education & Young People not in education, employment or training. For full report click here
National Family Mediation and the Co-operative join forces to provide high quality divorce mediation
20.09.12 . National Family Mediation and the Co-operative have joined forces to provide high quality family mediation nationwide. The deal will enable couples planning to separate of divorce to access highly trained solicitors and mediators without the need to go to court. press release co-op
Parental alcohol misuse ‘more damaging than drugs’
A recent report based on more than 150 sources of leterature, found that one in three children in the UK live with at least one parent who is a binge drinker.
Maggie Atkinson, children’s commissioner for England, said ‘We’re asking that the same amount of seriousness is applied to alcohol as is applied to other substances that can seriously damage your health, and leave your children not as parented as they ought to be. Full report here
