In this issue: Practice and procedure Relationship breakdown Public children Transparency Cohabitants Financial provision Enforcement Court of Protection International children Updated content Daily and weekly news alerts Weekly highlights archive Practice and procedure Update to Standard Order 10.2 (short-form non-molestation order) Following a correction to Order 10.2 (short-form non-molestation order), Mr Justice Peel has refreshed the Standard Family Orders. The amended order now records the respondent’s address and date of birth to support police database entries. The updated Order 10.2, together with reissued yet unchanged Volumes 1 and 2, can be found here. HMCTS sets out progress and next steps for family courts HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has posted a blog outlining advances across the family courts, including broader digital services, clearer guidance and improved support for vulnerable users. The...

In this issue: Practice and procedure Relationship breakdown Public children Private children Financial provision Daily and weekly news alerts New content Updated content New Q&As Useful information Practice and procedure Family Procedure Rule Committee annual report: April 2024 to March 2025 The Family Procedure Rule Committee has issued its annual report, setting out work on revising the Family Procedure Rules 2010. It details reforms on domestic abuse, experts, case management, and early resolution across April 2024 to March 2025. Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, retires from the judiciary Sir Andrew McFarlane has stepped down as President of the Family Division, President of the Court of Protection and Head of Family Justice following a notable tenure. Since his 2018 appointment, he drove modernisation of the Family Court, advancing transparency through reporting reforms and a 2025...

Re B-A (Placement Order and Contact Order) [2026] EWCA Civ 356 What are the practical implications of this case? The Court of Appeal emphasised that a central strand in recent rulings on post‑placement order contact is that decisions must turn on the particular facts of the individual case. It also noted that, in Re S (Placement Order Contact) [2025] EWCA Civ 823, [2026] 1 FLR 48, the President highlighted the need for a tailored, bespoke appraisal of future contact arrangements in every matter, specific to each child......

In this issue: Practice and procedure Private children International children Daily and weekly news alerts Updated content Useful information Practice and procedure DfE publishes guidance on delivering kinship allowance pilot The Department for Education (DfE) has released non‑statutory guidance on implementing the kinship allowance within the Kinship Zones pilot programme, starting on 1 April 2026. It sets out the policy framework for participating local authorities, including rules on eligibility for kinship carers, payment structures, interactions with other benefits, and arrangements for funding and assurance. During the pilot, eligible kinship carers with a special guardianship order or a lives with child arrangements order will receive a regular, tax‑free, non‑means‑tested allowance paid at the national minimum fostering allowance rate. The aim is to enhance placement stability and ease financial barriers to enduring kinship care. The guidance also details delivery...