A group of family and human rights lawyers, working in-house in women's organisations, in private practice and at the Bar, have written to Justice Ministers calling for an independent inquiry into treatment of domestic abuse in family courts. The letters, to David Gauke, the Justice Secretary, and Paul Maynard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, explain that the twelve weeks allowed for the recently announced departmental inquiry is not sufficient to evaluate properly the reasons "why the system is currently placing children and victims at unacceptable risk".
Read the Family Law Week article here.
Hundreds of English schools still at risk from crumbling concrete
Hundreds of schools in England are still at risk of collapse from crumbling concrete, according to previously unpublished figures. Official data, which the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Thousands of young people placed in council care more than 20 miles away from home, analysis shows
A third of children in council care in 2023 lived over 20 miles away from their local area, school and family – around 4,600 people in total.
£600m boost for social care next year announced in Budget
Councils’ available spending to grow by an estimated 3.2% in real terms in 2025-26, with authorities also given £250m to test new approaches in children’s
