Children

A study into the state of the mental health of young adults by Direct Line and Mind, the mental health charity, has turned out some sobering results. Only 10% of young adults love themselves completely, with 95% saying that they felt anxious in the last 12 months, with 21% experiencing these feelings[...]

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) – This is an organisation which works with children and young people and their families, and then advises the family court on what it considers to be in the best interests of each child. Cafcass worker – Depending on what the family[...]

The Only Person I Am Constantly With Is Me “It is still the case that 50/50 shared care arrangements between parents are comparatively rare in private law children cases. Research shows that a number of factors have to be in place, practical matters such as the close geographical proximity, but,[...]

Is indirect contact working to promote contact between parents and their children? We talk about indirect contact fairly regularly, as it is an important part of our work as McKenzie Friends. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, indirect contact is when the court orders that a parent may[...]

A case of extreme parental alienation was heard in London earlier this year, in which a father was being alienated by his ex-wife. She was manipulating the children, and going to extreme lengths to do so. This case had been to court several times, spanning many years. A team of psychiatrists had been[...]

When families fall apart, do they fall too easily into court? An analysis of a speech given by Sir Andrew McFarlane (AM), President of the Family Division, on October 31st 2022, at The Worcestershire High Sheri’s Lecture 2022 at the University of Worcester AM suggests that separating parents[...]

A person who acts for a child who is subject to specific public law proceedings, usually care proceedings. Guardians are qualified in social work; they are trained and experienced in working with children and families. They are appointed by the Court to represent the rights and interests of children[...]

In an application for a care order, the local authority must provide basic information to the court and to the parties about case management and long term planning. The court cannot make a final care order unless it has considered a care plan. The Care Plan presented by the local authority must be[...]

He was born but he didn’t ask to be. When you hit him, he didn’t ask you to. When you ignored him for the first 6 years of his life, he came to terms with it. When you said you wanted contact with him, he went along with it. When you left him sat in […]

How can a private investigator help a neglected child? Despite living in a time with so much technology, as well as safeguarding procedures and processes, we still continually find children and young people exposed to the risk of neglect, abandonment, and assault. In a society where the welfare support[...]