Children and parenting on separation
A Section 7 report is a report written by either a CAFCASS worker or a local authority social worker. This type of report is used in court cases issued by one of the child’s parents, where they have been unable to reach an agreement with the other parent on an important issue. The court will…
The President of the Family Division provided parents with clarity this week about how to deal with a child arrangements dispute during the ongoing Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. This update follows our blog yesterday setting out the recent Government advice. If one parent is “sufficiently concerned” that if they continue to follow the…
Where a non-resident parent lives abroad, it can be possible to seek the payment of child maintenance through a reciprocal enforcement of maintenance order (REMO). A REMO can also be used in respect of the overseas income of a non-resident parent who is habitually resident in the UK. The UK has REMO arrangements with over…
Carrying out clinical psychology assessments for the Family Court is one of the most interesting sides to my role as a clinical psychologist. Whilst the work involves bearing witness to stories of abuse, and usually at the more serious end of abuse, it can be hugely rewarding and fascinating. When I begin an assessment, I…
There are five different methods of calculating the amount of child maintenance payable, with the rate applied depending on the non-resident parent’s gross weekly income, whether they claim certain welfare benefits, and the circumstances of the non-resident parent. These are the five rates used to calculate the amount of child maintenance that a non-resident parent has…
The usual approach in cases involving children is that each side pays their own legal costs. In a case heard by the High Court last month*, Mr Justice Peter Jackson was asked to decide whether a 15 year old and 13 year old boy should live with their mother or father. The children were living…
James Munby, President of the Family Division, has issued a new Practice Direction (“PD”) to deal with Domestic Abuse in relation to Child Arrangements and Contact Orders. The changes have been made in the light of the recommendations made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Domestic Violence in its briefing dated 29 April 2016…
Parental Responsibility is a legal term which defines the set of rights and responsiblities which some parents have in relation to their children. The Children’s Act 1989 defines Parental Responsibility as “all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and…
When your family law matter finally reaches court, your case will be heard by one (or more) judges. The type of judge you encounter will depend on the court where your case is being heard. Standard family cases are heard in the County Court or a Magistrates Court, and will either be heard by a District Judge, Circuit Judge or…
If your children are attending privately paying schools, and you are negotiating a financial settlement on divorce, there will need to be a decision reached on how these fees are going to be paid. In a recent financial case before the High Court*, two children attended fee paying schools, costing a total of £27,828 per…
