An investigation into providers of online divorces has begun. It follows complaints about un-regulated legal services. Online divorce services have grown in popularity since the covid-19 lockdown. The Competition and Markets Authority is to look at misleading claims about both the simplicity of the process and the prices being charged. Read more…
The latest trends in living arrangements have just been published. There are 28 million households in the UK and two thirds of these are just one family. There are 19 million families and just under half have no children living with them. A similar number have one or more dependent Read more…
The number of people getting married in England and Wales has hit its lowest level since 1838. Weddings fell by 60 per cent in 2020 – a figure which will have been influenced by restrictions and lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The average age of those who did marry Read more…
Mediation could become mandatory in all suitable family court cases. This will mean that separating couples will have to try to agree their child custody and financial arrangements through a Family Mediator. This could also reduce the backlogs on the family courts which have built up due to the Covid Read more…
The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme is being extended until April 2025. It provides separating couples with vouchers worth up to £500 towards the cost of family or divorce mediation. This is costing the government another £15 million. So far the scheme has supported over 15,000 families. Nearly 70 per cent Read more…
The number of people applying to get divorced is now at its highest for ten years. It’s feared that the cost of living is putting marriages under financial strain. That contrasts starkly with 2021 having the lowest level of divorces for twenty years. This increase is also being put down Read more…
The proportion of adults in the UK who have never been married or entered into a civil partnership is increasing. In 1991, just over a quarter of adults were single. That is now nearly forty per cent. As of 2021, the number of people in a marriage or civil partnership Read more…
In a recent BBC Radio 4 interview Sir Andrew McFarlane’s frustration was palpable to hear, reflecting the view of many of his colleagues and family professionals about the number of parents ending up in the court system. In 2020, a report by the Family Solutions Group found the family justice Read more…
The Office for National Statistics has published divorce statistics for last year. There was a 9% increase in divorces granted in England and Wales compared with 2020. However this could reflect catch up from the pandemic) Women were more likely to petition in opposite sex couples than men. (63 per Read more…
Family law cases are now taking longer to resolve than during the Covid restrictions. The government says mediation is the solution but the removal of legal aid for most private law family cases means many couples are not even aware it exists. Legal aid cuts have also increased the number Read more…