Latest News
Latest Family Law news articles covering mainstream media, published judgements, industry leading blog posts, and other related news.
Star Hobson murder: Mother’s sentence increased to 12 years
The mother of murdered toddler Star Hobson has had her sentence for causing or allowing her daughter’s death increased to 12 years. Frankie Smith, 20, was handed an eight-year term at Bradford Crown Court in December. Attorney General Suella Braverman said this was “unduly lenient” and referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal. Three…
Logan Mwangi trial: Five-year-old had ‘significant injuries’
A five-year-old boy whose body was found dumped in a river had injuries consistent with a big fall or a serious car crash, a murder trial has heard. The body of Logan Mwangi, also known as Logan Williamson, was found in the River Ogmore in Bridgend county on 31 July 2021, Cardiff Crown Court heard.…
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes Report
A probe of services in Solihull has since uncovered a “significant” number of children who remain in “unknown risk” due to assessment delays. Solihull Council said it had already begun improvement work. The report, published on Monday, found “too many children in Solihull face drift and delay” under the support framework delivered by multiple local…
Sheffield mother and stepfather jailed for imprisoning autistic son
A mother and stepfather who kept their starving autistic son locked in “abject squalor and filth” in an attic for seven months have been jailed. Matthew Langley, 22, weighed just 6st 2lbs (39kg) and was “days away from death” when he was found in June 2020. Lorna Hewitt, 43, and husband Craig Hewitt, 42, were…
Political impartiality guidance for schools
The Government says: “Everyone has their own views on particular subjects and issues and teachers are no different, but it is important that teachers explain things to their students in a way that is impartial. Teaching about political issues and the differing views on these is an essential part of the curriculum, helping pupils to…
Police find missing girl Paislee Shultis in secret room in New York
A six-year-old girl missing for two years has been found in a “small cold and wet” secret room under a staircase in New York state. Paislee Shultis’s biological parents allegedly kidnapped her after losing custody in 2019 and concealed her from the outside world at her grandfather’s home in Saugerties 150 miles away. Voice of…
The impact of equal parenting time laws on family outcomes and risky behavior by teenagers: Evidence from Spain
Abstract: Due to legal reforms, equal parenting time (EPT) laws in Spain now apply to approximately 40% of all divorces, with likely implications for family outcomes and teenagers’ risky behavior. Consistent with theories of bargaining power within marriage, we find that EPT laws decrease contentious and wife-initiated divorces and increase the employment of mothers relative…
Opinion: Care-leaving age, Teenagers are children too
“There should be a national outcry about the government’s decision to withhold the entitlement to care from the over-15s” says The Guardian in the opening to their editorial on care being withdrawn from children at age 15. They go on to point out “The Children Act of 1989 allowed for unspecified “other arrangements” to take…
Re: A and B (Child Arrangements: Parental Alienation)
Transfer of residence (father to mother), Hague Convention (Australia), unilateral actions in breach of Parental Responsibility of the other parent, Parental Alienation (by the father), and other matters. Voice of the ChildIn a Family Law system designed for combative parents there is no real allowance for the views of children and any understanding of how…
Disabled children: Most carers not offered assessment
Almost two-thirds of people who care for disabled children have not been offered an assessment of their needs, according to a new report. Voice of the ChildIn a Family Law system designed for combative parents there is no real allowance for the views of children and any understanding of how Family Law ultimately impacts on…