Family justice minister Simon Hughes has pledged to create a country-wide network of in-court advice centres for unrepresented people. £1.4 million a year of new money provided by the Ministry of Justice will go to the Personal Support Unit, which already assists more than 1,200 litigants a month in eight units across England and Wales. […]

A new survey has revealed that less than one in four couples seek professional counselling to try to save their marriage when their relationship is in difficulties. The research found that while 37% of such couples said they thought counselling would help, only 23% actively sought help. The survey of 2,000 people also revealed that […]

Cafcass has published its latest figures for care applications and private law demand, for September 2014. In that month Cafcass received a total of 902 care applications, representing a 7% increase compared to those received in September 2013. As to private law demand, Cafcass received a total of 2,858 new private law cases, which is […]

New national standards designed to raise the quality of expert witness evidence in family court cases and speed up proceedings became law on the first of October. Changes to the family court rules will mean only qualified, experienced and recognised professionals will be able to give evidence as expert witnesses in family proceedings relating to […]

Research by the Children’s Commissioner has shown that the impact of the legal aid changes on children has been vastly underestimated. The research showed that in 70% of private family cases one or both parties did not have legal representation compared with 54% who had it previously. Under the ‘exceptional funding’ regime, which the Government […]