Refuge criticises exclusion of domestic abuse perpetrators from Sentencing Act review
Domestic abuse survivor charity Refuge has criticised the government’s review of the early prison release scheme, raising concerns about risk of harm to survivors if perpetrators of domestic abuse are released as part of the scheme. Prime Minster Andy Burnham is currently reviewing the previous government’s efforts to manage prison overcrowding and capacity under the […]
Family justice roadmap ‘will avert children entering care system’
National charity Family Rights Group has published a roadmap it says will help family justice areas support children and families earlier and safely reduce the need for care proceedings. The roadmap is included in a report evaluating a Dorset pilot programme that was designed to drive system change in how local family justice areas approach […]
Kent-based business operating unregulated children’s homes first to be prosecuted
A company operating three unregistered children’s homes and its directors have become the first to be prosecuted after the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) was granted new powers to bring civil penalties against any person operating or managing an unregistered children’s home. Kent-based Catalyst Care Limited and its two directors, […]
Marriage and civil partnership most common legal status; same-sex marriage ‘grows steadily’
Marriage or civil partnerships remain the most common legal partnership status among adults in England and Wales, according to the latest population estimates from the Office for National Statistics. The percentage decreased slightly, down from 52.3% in 2015 to 51.1% in 2025, despite people in civil partnerships and same-sex marriages more than quadrupling over the […]
‘Substantial minority’ of parents return to court in private law proceedings amid support concerns
Almost a third of parents in England and two fifths of parents in Wales return to court in private law proceedings, data from the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory reveals. According to Ministry of Justice figures, over 80,000 children were involved in private family law proceedings in 2025, with most involving child arrangements for separated parents […]
Applications open for government-funded AI lawtech incubator
Applications for a government-funded legal tech incubator launched by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) are now open, with submissions encouraged from across legal services. Legal services is the first sector to participate in the AI Growth Lab (AIGL), a government-led advisory sandbox intended to accelerate the development and deployment of AI products […]