Research exposes high suicide rates among domestic abuse perpetrators
The Drive Partnership have shared their newly published research paper: Suicide rates in high-risk, high-harm perpetrators of domestic abuse in England and Wales: a cohort study to be published in Crisis: Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention. This research, conducted in collaboration between the Drive Partnership and Dr. Duleeka Knipe’s team at the University […]
Outstanding Achievement award for Professional Paralegal Register founder
The founder of the Professional Paralegal Register (PPR) was formally recognised for the outstanding work she has done to develop the role of paralegals across the legal community at a special awards ceremony last night. PPR founder Rita Leat was presented with the prestigious awards a the fifth annual National Paralegal Awards, hosted at The […]
Home Secretary urges Meta to protect children from sexual abuse
The Home Secretary Suella Braverman has urged Meta not to roll out end-to-end encryption on its platforms without robust safety measures that ensure children are protected from sexual abuse and exploitation in messaging channels. Meta has publicly announced plans to roll out end-to-end encryption on Instagram and Facebook Messenger imminently which will put children across […]
Risk to mental health in the workplace – what are they and how to manage them
It is World Mental Health Day on 10th October: an opportunity to raise awareness and campaign for change. This year we want to highlight the responsibilities of employers to create mentally healthy workplaces. The traditional view of health and safety in the workplace is evolving to include the risks to mental health in workplaces and […]
Advanced Notice: Family Rules Procedure Committee annual open event
The Family Procedure Rule Committee will conduct their annual open event where attendees will be able to observe proceedings and put questions to the Committee. The meeting will take place at 11am on Monday 6 November 2023 via MS. Questions may be sent in advance and although attendees will not be involved in the normal […]
Family lawyers brace for impact of MCA 1973 review
Debate surrounding proposed reforms to the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 is beginning to ramp up as lawyers in London – often dubbed the “divorce capital of the world – ponder the potentially seismic impact of the Law Commission’s review. The government commissioned a review of the 50-year-old legislation that governs how financial assets are divided […]
Children and finance on the agenda at FLBA Conference 2023
Family law bar and judiciary practitioners are invited to attend the upcoming Family Law Bar Association conference in Bristol on 14th October to discuss the latest updates across children and finance matters. The Conference, chaired by Mrs Justice Judd and opened by Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, will provide members the opportunity […]
Conference returns to discuss the changing climate of law
Manchester-based law firm referral and fee-share scheme Lawshare is hosting its annual Management Conference in Manchester on Thursday 5th October. The conference will again be hosted at The Lowry Hotel and sees key decision makers come together to explore key challenges and opportunities. Titled “Law: The Climate is Changing” this year the Lawshare Conference will […]
3 in 5 suffering from workplace stress this year, research shows
Three in five professionals state that their mental health has declined this year as a result of workplace stress, a new study has found. Despite UK employers spending millions on wellness initiatives every year – increasing their spend by 20% since the pandemic – 55% of professionals still think that their employer is not doing […]
DNA Legal: Child law conference
This essential CPD event brings together the tools to help you challenge expert toxicology evidence, understand ways communication can be manipulated and covert recording methods in family proceedings. DNA Legal David Nicholson – Challenging expert evidence and how donor’s can interfere with testing and manipulate results 3PB Barristers Aimee Fox – Covert Recordings in Family […]
Gaps in children’s mental health services ‘being filled by courts and drug dealers’
Delays and shortages mean children in need of mental health crisis care are often being looked after by local authority children’s services teams and the courts while others turn to drugs, according to new analysis. A study of NHS data by mental health charity Young Minds has shown that, in May 2023, there were record […]
Family lawyers urged to attend key private law event in September
Now is the time to book your place at the inaugural Today’s Family Lawyer Conference, which is set to be held in Manchester on Wednesday 27th September 2023. The event will delve into crucial aspects of private family law, including financial remedies, “One lawyer, one couple”, mediation, and parental alienation. Speakers confirmed for the event […]
‘AI legal aid service’ expands with mobile application
An artificial intelligence (AI) platform claiming to provide an “innovative legal aid service” has expanded its service into a mobile application. LawMate.AI uses technology to provide legal information and answer questions based on legal principles, case law, and regulations across various legal areas. The “pocket lawyer” can also draft legal documents. The company says it […]
Case Update: Y (A Child) (Abduction: Romania: Art. 13(b))
The case of Y (A Child) (Abduction: Romania: Art. 13(b)) [2023] EWHC 1676 (Fam) (14 February 2023) was recently published. This is a decision in respect of a contested 1980 Hague Application. In short, as paragraph six of the judgment outlines, “the mother defends the application on the basis of Article 13(b) of the Convention, […]
I. Stephanie Boyce: Mind over matter
We read daily of inflationary court backlogs, crumbling court infrastructure, legal aid deserts, lack of court staff. The number of those seeking legal advice has increased, but this has not been matched by the resources needed to deliver justice promptly for those turning to the justice system. In addition, the aftermath of the recent global […]
Key domestic abuse coalition announces rebrand
The Drive Partnership, a coalition of groups working on the response to domestic abuse, has announced a rebrand. The Drive Partnership is a partnership between Respect, Safelives, and Social Finance. They came together in 2015 around a shared ambition to change the way statutory and voluntary agencies respond to high-harm, high-risk perpetrators of domestic violence […]
Smart home devices ‘a growing problem’ in enabling domestic abuse – report
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published its report Connect tech: smart or sinister, which warns that the use of smart technology and connected devices in facilitating domestic abuse is becoming a growing problem. The Committee launched its inquiry in May last year to consider both the potential benefit and harms of connected technology, […]
Data reveals concerning number of reports of coercive and controlling behaviour towards children
In the last year, the NSPCC Helpline received almost 1,400 contacts about children experiencing coercive and controlling behaviour as part of domestic abuse. The Childline service gave over 1,000 counselling sessions to children and young people experiencing domestic abuse, with 221 mentioning coercive and controlling behaviour What’s more, their new analysis, supported by the COVID-19 support fund, shows that they received an average of 131 concerns […]
Children ‘left in limbo’ by family courts crisis
Tens of thousands of children are being “left in limbo” by a crisis in the family court system as a result of care proceedings and parental separation cases taking more than a year to resolve, the Law Society of England and Wales has warned. Data from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service […]
Government hints at withdrawal from ECHR
The UK could withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights in an effort to push through its small boats policy – a move that has been described by the Law Society as “using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”. The UK has been a party to the Council of Europe treaty – which established […]