Should children be heard in English family court cases? – BBC News

Posted October 17th, 2017 in children, family courts, news, treaties, witnesses by tracey

‘Children, campaigners and some judges are calling for a change in the law so that children at the heart of family cases in England and Wales can talk in private to the judge if they so choose.’

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BBC News, 17th October 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Hair Strand Testing for Cocaine – Family Law Week

Posted October 13th, 2017 in children, drug abuse, expert witnesses, forensic science, guardianship, news by tracey

‘Emily James and Kate Tompkins, barristers of 36 Family, consider a new judgment in which Sir Peter Jackson affirmed, and offered guidance on, current testing arrangements.’

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Family Law Week, 12th October 2017

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

UK proposals for child data consent could be illegal, says peer – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 12th, 2017 in bills, children, consent, data protection, internet, news by sally

‘Plans to make 13 the age at which children in the UK can consent to the processing of their data on social media websites and other online platforms “would almost certainly be illegal”, a UK peer has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 12th October 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Revealed: Bar Council pulls plug on pioneering nursery – Legal Futures

Posted October 10th, 2017 in barristers, children, fees, news, women by sally

‘The Bar Council has closed its flagship nursery scheme at Smithfield in the City of London, citing a lack of places and promising to find other, “more effective” ways of supporting barristers with childcare responsibilities.’

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Legal Futures, 10th October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Narcissistic cult’ brothers put into care – BBC News

Posted October 10th, 2017 in care orders, children, families, mental health, news by sally

‘Three teenage brothers should be taken from their mother and put into care, having developed a “narcissistic cult” mentality, a High Court judge has said.’

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BBC News, 9th October 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Divorce and children – is shared care a right or responsibility? – Family Law

Posted October 9th, 2017 in children, custody, divorce, families, news, parental responsibility, parental rights by sally

‘‘I know my rights’ – With that statement a family lawyer will naturally turn to s 2A of the Children Act 1989 and the presumption of parental involvement.
‘Parents do not have rights, they have responsibilities’ – Arguably one is now considering the court’s overriding objective and paramount consideration as set out in s 1 of the Children Act 1989 which highlights the welfare of any child.’

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Family Law, 5th October 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Number of child-on-child sexual assaults almost doubles – Daily Telegraph

‘Reports of children sexually assaulting each other have almost doubled in the last four years, figures show as experts blame the rise in the availability of online pornography.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Man convicted after showing child graphic Daesh beheading video – Crown Prosecution Service

Posted October 6th, 2017 in children, news, proscribed organisations, terrorism by tracey

‘A pharmacist from Leicester has today (5 October 2017) been convicted for showing graphic beheading videos to a young child as part of a plan to radicalise two young children.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 5th October 2017

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

LGO criticises failure of council to assess vulnerable young children at risk of harm – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has accused a council of not doing enough to safeguard a family who made multiple appeals for help to protect their younger children from threats of violence made by their teenage son.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th October 2017

Source: localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Revised Practice Direction 12J – Child Arrangements and Contact Orders: Domestic Abuse and Harm – Family Law

‘Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division, has issued a revised Practice Direction 12J of the Family Procedure Rules 2010 which came into force on 2 October 2017. The Practice Direction applies to any family proceedings in the Family Court or the High Court and specifically applies to any application made for a Child Arrangements Order or should any question arise about where a child should live, or about contact between a child and a parent or other family member and the court considers that an order should be made.’

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Family Law, 3rd October 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Children: Private Law Update (September 2017) – Family Law Week

Posted October 3rd, 2017 in appeals, children, news by sally

‘Alex Verdan QC of 4 Paper Buildings reviews recent important judgments in private law children cases.’

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Family Law Week, 29th September 2017

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

The muslim foster carer case again – what else has emerged? – Transparency Project

Posted October 3rd, 2017 in children, families, fostering, media, news, religious discrimination by sally

‘This week the court held a further hearing, the IRH or Issues Resolution Hearing. In terms of the progress of the case itself, press reports tell us that little AB’s future will be decided at a final hearing in December, meaning that the proposed plan for her long term care is in some way disputed, it seems by the child’s mother. The details are unclear.’

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Transparency Project, 2nd October 2017

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Family court changes to protect children ‘lifesaving’ – BBC News

Posted October 2nd, 2017 in children, contact orders, custody, domestic violence, family courts, homicide, news by sally

‘New family court guidance to protect children from violent parents during custody disputes is “lifesaving,” domestic violence campaigners say.’

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BBC News, 29th September 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Javier Garcia Oliva: Why the Constitutional Treatment of Religion in Great Britain Matters in Religious Disputes – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Two high profile cases concerning the approach of public authorities towards religion and identity, where the care and future of looked after children were concerned, have featured this summer.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 26th September 2017

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Public Law Clients with Learning Disabilities – Bridging the gap – Family Law Week

‘Gillian Geddes, barrister, of Hind Court considers the correct focus for public law arguments in support of parents with learning disabilities being allowed to care for their children.’

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Family Law Week, 20th September 2017

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Refuse collector jailed for supplying drugs to 15-year-old girl who died – The Guardian

Posted September 25th, 2017 in children, drug offences, news, sentencing by sally

‘A refuse collector has been jailed for supplying drugs to a 15-year-old girl shortly before she collapsed and died.’

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The Guardian, 22nd September 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ofsted reports on the inspection of services for children living with domestic abuse – Family Law

‘Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, and HM Inspectorate of Probation have published a report examining the multi-agency response to children living with domestic abuse, along with inspections of local area services.’

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Family Law, 20th September 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Children’s evidence and ABE interviews Children’s evidence – Family Law

Posted September 21st, 2017 in child abuse, children, disclosure, evidence, news, witnesses by sally

‘In Wolverhampton City Council v JA & Ors [2017] EWFC 62, Keehan J dealt with a care case which involved allegations of sexual abuse of two young girls. They were aged 13 (X) and 12 (Y) at the time of his judgment. The proceedings are continuing. There were a variety of allegations against the children’s father and two male friends of the mother dating back nearly ten years.’

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Family Law, 20th September 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

The landscape for child disputes post-Brexit – Family Law

Posted September 15th, 2017 in brexit, children, EC law, families, jurisdiction, news by tracey

‘Resolving the complexities of family life across international borders is notoriously complex. However, with Britain’s impending withdrawal from the EU casting an unexpected shadow over the certainty of established legislation, children and their families face an additional layer of difficulty as Britain attempts to untangle itself from existing EU regulations. To manage increasing anxiety, the Government has recently published its vision of the UK’s future partnership with the EU on this key issue entitled “Providing a cross-border civil judicial cooperation framework”. What does this tell us about how international children law disputes will be decided post-Brexit? Are we any clearer as to what impact this will have on the children caught up in these disputes?’

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Family Law, 14th September 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

London borough finds interim placement for teenager after judicial criticism – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 6th, 2017 in care orders, children, local government, mental health, news by sally

‘Southwark Council has now said it has found an interim placement for a troubled teenager after criticism from a judge.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th September 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk