Millions must have chance to access justice again, says The Law Society
More than five million people and families with children could qualify for free legal help and advice in cases such as unfair eviction or domestic abuse, if the new UK government implements changes recommended by the 2023 Means Test Review, the Law Society of England and Wales said. The Review committed to expanding financial eligibility […]
One-fifth of women face increased domestic abuse due to refuge space shortage
Findings from a new Women’s Aid report show that 22.2% of women supported by the charity’s No Woman Turned Away project have experienced further abuse from the perpetrator while waiting for a refuge space, with 2.9% forced into sleeping rough to escape life-threatening abuse. The No Woman Turned Away project, now in its eighth year, […]
Refuge responds to VAWG Policing Report
Responding to the College of Policing (CoP) and National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) National Policing Statement 2024, Abigail Ampofo, Interim CEO of Refuge, said: “DCC Maggie Blyth’s annual report into violence against women and girls (VAWG) demonstrates the outrageous prevalence of this crime, with 3,000 incidents recorded each day. […]
NSPCC helpline has seen a 65% increase in adult concerns about children being left home alone
Last year, NSPCC’s Helpline supported over 7,800 contacts where concerns about a child being left home alone or unsupervised was mentioned, with more than half of contacts resulting in a referral to a local authority. Between April 2023 and March 2024, our NSPCC Helpline, which provides help and advice for adults with concerns about the […]
Police chiefs call for unified effort to combat VAWG
Police chiefs have outlined the alarming scale of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in England and Wales, revealing that over 3,000 offences are recorded each day and that one in 12 women are victims each year. Commissioned by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing, the statement highlights significant changes in […]
Estimated 192,912 children had a parent in prison between October 2021 and October 2022, HMPPS data reveals
Government statistics, using data from five HMPPS sources, have revealed significant insights into the number of prisoners with children in England and Wales. Directly counted, 74,275 prisoners with children were identified as having spent time in prison between 1st October 2021 and 1st October 2022. This figure represents 53% of the total 139,562 prisoner cohort […]
Gender Neutral Family Court: Is Now the Time?
Introduction In 2023, Reem Aslem, UN expert on violence against women, reported to the Human Rights Council that deeply entrenched gender bias permeates family court systems worldwide (https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2023/06/gender-bias-custody-battles-places-women-and-children-risk). Can the same be said about the system in England and Wales? The need for a review into the impact of gender bias within the Family Court […]
The new test for matrimonialised property set out in Standish
The Court of Appeal’s recent decision in the case of Standish v Standish can certainly be considered controversial. The decision effectively states that a gift to a spouse is not in fact a gift, thereby becoming a judgement of universal application in family law. Another way in which this decision will set precedent is through […]
