MPs from all parties are backing a tough US-style law that would make domestic abuse a specific offence carrying a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. This is something that will hopefully help increased conviction rates; as it is recognised that at present conviction rates are low and often the perpetrator is convicted […]
BBC Panorama programme ‘I Want my Baby Back’ that was transmitted on 13th January examines evidence used in ‘Vitamin D cases’ in family courts. The BBC says that crucial evidence against parents came from doctors, who erroneously viewed fractures on x-rays as evidence of abuse, rather than a lack of vitamin D (or Rickets) which […]
A survey by Netmums has revealed that in many cases children feel very differently about the impact of their parents separation than their parents believe. Worryingly 14% of children felt unable to be honest with their parents about their feelings and 2 in 5 admitted hiding their feelings from their parent to avoid upsetting them. […]
Yesterday, 2nd January, has been dubbed “divorce day” by the press. The theory is that more couples seek the advice of solicitors on the issue of divorce on 2nd January than any other day of the year. At Higgins Miller we are used to having more divorce related enquiries in January than other months of […]
Abductions of children from the UK by one of their parents has nearly doubled in the last 10 years according to data from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This amounts to a startling two children being abducted abroad every single day. The FCO has made a film called “Caught in the Middle,” which shows […]
The Ministry of Justice has published a report into the public’s confidence in the court system. The survey showed that less than half of those asked were either very confident of fairly confident that the family courts take into account the views of both parents when deciding what orders to make in respect of children. […]
It has been announced that from next year there will be a legal duty on local authorities to allow children in care to stay in their foster placements until the age of 21 rather than having to leave at 18. This is likely to have huge benefits for the young people concerned, particularly when they […]
Clare’s Law, which allows people to check the police records of their partners has been running in Manchester and two other areas since September 2012. The scheme is named after Clare Wood who was murdered by her partner who had a history of violence in relationships. Clare’s law is now to be expanded throughout the […]
A survey carried out by Women’s Aid, Welsh Women’s Aid and Right of Women has found that six out of ten victims of domestic violence are unable to access legal aid to protect themselves. At Higgins Miller we have found that although we have many enquiries for those who have suffered domestic violence a large […]
Last week it was reported that a Chinese man has successfully sued his wife for giving birth to what he considered to be an excessively ugly baby girl. The man firstly believed that the child was as a result of an affair as she looked so different from him and his wife but when DNA testing […]