Decrease in most family justice activity but domestic abuse applications rise during lockdown
There has been a significant decrease in most types of family justice between April and June as a result of measures adopted by the courts regarding COVID-19.
The Family Court Quarterly Statistics also revealed that the time for a care or supervision case to reach first disposal was 36 weeks, despite the 26 weeks target. [...]
NSPCC sees 50% rise in contacts about domestic abuse
The number of contacts to the NSPCC from people concerned about children living in homes with domestic abuse rose by almost 50% since the introduction of national lockdown measures.
The children’s charity said that between April and September 2020, more than 4,500 concerns were raised by members of the public, with 818 contacts in August [...]
10 million people will need support for mental health problems following pandemic
As many as 10 million people in England will need help for mental health problems over the coming months and years in the aftermath of COVID-19, the Centre for Mental Health has warned.
The Centre estimates that around 8.5 million adults and 1.5 million children in England will need support for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress [...]
LGA urges chancellor to plug funding gap for local authorities in Spending Review
Local authorities need £10 billion to plug the funding gap and meet the increase in demand for services, the Local Government Association has warned.
Ahead of the Spending Review, the LGA says that councils in England will face a funding gap of more than £5 billion by 2024 to maintain services at current levels. This [...]
Kinship care should always be considered as first option, says taskforce
No child should have to live outside of their family if there is a safe and loving home available within their family and friends’ network, a parliamentary inquiry into kinship care states.
There are more than 180,000 children across the UK living with kinship carers - relatives or friends who raise children who cannot safely [...]
Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse examines CSE by organised networks
A public hearing into child sexual exploitation by organised networks has been held by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
The hearing, held between 21 September and 2 October, examined the extent of child sexual exploitation by organised networks in England and Wales as well as institutional responses.
The inquiry also wanted to establish whether [...]
