A landmark family law change removes the presumption of parental involvement when assessing child arrangements in family court. Speak to our family team.

Switalskis has extended its family law work in South Yorkshire with a legal aid family contract to Barnsley Local Authority. The ongoing contract will allow the business to accept legal aid family and care work in the area, including domestic abuse injunction work, legal aid children applications and forced marriage matters.

In this blog, we’ll explore a childcare case shared by Ruth, who represented children in family court. This case reflects the importance of appropriate support and keeping children's best interests at heart.

Forced marriage could be happening more often than figures suggest, a solicitor claims, after shedding light into the reality of her cases.

In this blog, we explain what Child and Family Assessments are, what they involve, and what your rights are.

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) is an independent organisation that advises the family courts in England. CAFCASS represents the perspectives of children in any child care or family court proceedings, protects their rights and aims to ensure that any decisions are made in the child's best interests. This is important, as making decisions for a child that protect their welfare and uphold their interests is a legal requirement. The Children Act 1989 states that the child's welfare must be the court's paramount consideration in any decision about their upbringing, above any other considerations.

If a local authority believes a child is at risk of suffering significant harm, it may decide to issue care proceedings for the child concerned. These are legal proceedings that aim to protect the child from any harm or likelihood of harm, and potential outcomes include a supervision order (where a social worker will help your family to make the necessary changes) and a care order (where the local authority takes responsibility for the child).

A care order does not remove the parent’s parental responsibility, but gives the local authority shared responsibility in making important decisions for the child.