header-logo header-logo

Our children deserve better

01 April 2022 / Lauren Evans
Issue: 7973 / Categories: Opinion , Family , Divorce
printer mail-detail
77115
Now is the time for radical change for separating families. Lauren Evans trumpets calls for better support for the children of separating parents

‘There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.’ Nelson Mandela’s words were brought to life at a recent event in Westminster where the Family Solutions Group (FSG)—a multi-disciplinary group set up in 2020 to look at how family separation impacts on children—urged the government to help thousands of children whose mental health is put at risk when families separate.

The Attorney General, Suella Braverman QC, joined Paddy O’Connell from BBC Broadcasting House, Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, MPs, judges, academics, family lawyers and other professionals last month to hear the voices of children caught in the middle of parental conflict, because their parents ‘square up’ in acrimonious court battles rather than ‘sit down’ and seek an amicable solution. Child X, for example, said: ‘My mum and dad spend so much time hating each

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve reports on Haynes v Thomson, the first judicial application of the Supreme Court’s For Women Scotland ruling in a discrimination claim, in this week's NLJ
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
back-to-top-scroll