The government has backed proposals for the introduction of three person IVF in the UK. Draft regulations are expected to be released later this year, meaning that the procedure could be available in two years’ time. It is hoped that the new procedure would help to eliminate debilitating and potentially fatal mitochondrial diseases that are…
Should parenting be policed? A recent amendment to the Children and Families Bill will allow the government to make it a criminal offence for drivers to fail to prevent smoking in their vehicle if children are present. By Chereece Mark The government has described the amendment as “protecting children” and will allow them to empower,…
A new study has shown that two-fifths of parents would risk getting a fine to take their children out of school for a term-time holiday. New rules were brought in last summer, making it much harder for parents to get permission to take their children out of school for holidays. New sanctions accompanied the rules….
A mother has been reunited with her child after a judge ruled that the family courts and social workers had been colluding during the case. This case has drawn attention to the way in which the family courts have, to some extent, been following the instructions of social workers who are involved with families going…
A Mother has lost custody of her two sons after a judge took issue with her ‘permissive parenting’ style. Judge Laura Harris heard how the boys, who had been living with their mother after their parents split up, were allowed to play computer games and Xbox late into the night. Their mother spent large amounts of…
Report finds that data on both foster children and carers is routinely emailed between agencies and local authorities with no security safeguards in place. By Chereece Mark According to the findings from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), fostering and voluntary adoption agencies do not always protect sensitive and personal information with computer encryption. Fostering and…
The new Children and Families Bill currently being passed through Parliament is to include an amendment that will allow children in foster care to stay put after their 18th birthday. The changes to the Bill have come after a very successful campaign, “Don’t move me” drew attention to the plight of young people forced to…
The shared parenting clause included in the Children and Families Bill is to be amended after a group of children’s charities pointed out that it could lead to confusion. Clause 11 of the Children and Families Bill, states that courts should: ‘presume, unless the contrary is shown, that involvement of that parent in the life of…
Nearly one in three families in the UK now have a stepchild, a new study has shown. The Family Finances Report was carried out by Aviva and included a study of over 20,000 people. Sarah Poulter of Aviva told the Daily Mail: ‘This research shows that there is no “normal” family any more. What was…