News Essentials: Bumper Xmas edition!

A not-so brief summary of the essential family law news and cases from the last week: 

NEWS

Family Court statistics quarterly: July to September 2021
Quarterly data on the volume of cases dealt with by family courts over time, with statistics also broken down for the main types of case involved. Full story: Ministry of Justice.

Legal aid statistics: July to September 2021
Activity in the legal aid system for England and Wales, including criminal and civil legal aid, family mediation, providers of legal aid, client characteristics and Central Funds payments. Full story: Ministry of Justice.

Record £1 billion in child support
New figures published today reveal a record £1 billion in child maintenance payments has been collected and arranged in the last 12 months to September 2021. Full story: Department for Work and Pensions.

Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to September 2021
Quarterly experimental statistics on the Child Maintenance Service to September 2021. Full story: Department for Work and Pensions.

High Court can still authorise deprivation of liberty of child in unregistered home in "imperative conditions of necessity": Court of Appeal
The statutory scheme established by Section 22C of the Children Act 1989 does not allow unregistered placements, but does not expressly prohibit them, and in cases where conditions of imperative necessity require a child to be placed in such a setting, common law steps in and allows the High Court to exercise its inherent jurisdiction to authorise a deprivation of liberty, the Court of Appeal has ruled. Full story: Local Government Lawyer.

Responding to the rapid rise in demand for free legal advice
A new report from the Ministry of Justice explains how government funding has been directed to maintaining and expanding access to free specialist legal advice. Full story: Family Law Week.

State of the Nation’s Foster Care Report 2021 published
Children and young people in foster care will be faced with a crumbling and failing system unless urgent improvements are made, according to Fostering Network's State of the Nation's Foster Care Report 2021. Full story: Family Law Week.

Domestic Abuse Commissioner pledges to end the ‘postcode lottery’ of domestic abuse services
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales has vowed to end the "shocking" 'postcode lottery' of domestic abuse services in England and Wales. Full story: Family Law Week.

Courts will continue as they have done over the course of the pandemic
The Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals have issued a message concerning the courts' and tribunals' work following the announcement of Plan B restrictions by the Prime Minister. Full story: Family Law Week.

HMCTS: Public prefers remote hearings but professionals see declining respect
Public users of the courts generally prefer remote to in-person hearings, but they have led to declining levels of respect, formality and concentration, according to government research. Full story: Legal Futures.

CASES

GK v PR [2021] EWFC 106 (14 December 2021)
Appeal by mother against dismissal of domestic abuse allegations made by her in private law proceedings. Appeal allowed. Full report: Bailii.

W v W (Transnational Abandonment) [2021] EWHC 3411 (Fam) (05 November 2021)
Final hearing of wardship and other applications made by mother, following alleged abandonment of her and children in Pakistan by father. Full report: Bailii.

Z (Care Proceedings: Special Guardianship: Competing Placements) No. 2, Re [2021] EWFC 70 (09 August 2021)
Care proceedings, in which key issue was where child should live, as neither of his parents could care for him. Full report: Bailii.

A, Re [2021] EWFC 103 (08 February 2021)
Application for parental order in relation to child born in consequence of an informal, altruistic surrogacy agreement in China, to a married surrogate. Full report: Bailii.

A (Jurisdiction: Family Law Act 1986 : Application for Amplification) [2021] EWFC 105 (15 December 2021)
Judgment considering whether court has jurisdiction to hear an application for a child arrangements order, when the child and parents concerned all live abroad. Held that it does not. Full report: Bailii.

Austin v Haynes [2021] EWCA Civ 1919 (15 December 2021)
Appeal by father against order relating to variation and enforcement of financial provision order, made under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989. Appeal dismissed. Full report: Bailii.

ND v KD (Progression of Contact) [2021] EWFC B77 (23 April 2021)
Judgment in private law proceedings concerning progression of father's contact with the two children. Full report: Bailii.

AK (A Child) (Fact Finding) [2021] EWFC B73 (16 July 2021)
Judgment in care proceedings, following 10-day fact-finding. Full report: Bailii.

A,B,C & X (Children)(NAI) [2021] EWFC B79 (01 August 2021)
Judgment following 10-day fact-finding in care proceedings, concerning cause of injuries to child. Full report: Bailii.

AA & BB (Children) (NAI - Fact Finding Hearing) [2021] EWFC B75 (17 September 2021)
Care proceedings regarding two children. Fact-finding concerning cause of injuries to one of the children. Full report: Bailii.

FC & EW (Children)(Fact Finding Hearing) [2021] EWFC B78 (28 March 2021)
Fact-finding in care proceedings concerning two children. Full report: Bailii.

R & A (Children)(Care proceedings) [2021] EWFC B76 (10 February 2021)
Final hearing in care proceedings concerning two children. Full report: Bailii.

E & F (Minors : Blood Transfusion) [2021] EWCA Civ 1888 (14 December 2021)
Appeals by 2 young persons from orders in which it was declared that it would be lawful for their doctors to administer blood to them in the course of an operation, if that became necessary to prevent serious injury or death. Full report: Bailii.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust & Anor v [2021] EWHC 3380 (Fam) (02 July 2021)
Application by NHS Trust for a declaration that it is lawful and in the best interests of child to be deprived of his liberty whilst an inpatient of the Trust. Full report: Bailii.

Thank you for reading. May we all have a happy and healthy Xmas and New Year.