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Substance abuse can have a significant impact on childcare proceedings, as it can lead to social workers having concerns about the safety and wellbeing of children. When a parent or caregiver struggles with substance abuse, it is thought they may be unable...
People often want to leave money or gifts in their Will to children or grandchildren. There are different ways in which you can do this, and it is important to consider how you want to leave your money when making a Will. Here, at Johnson Astills , we...
What is a section 20? Section 20 is a voluntary arrangement that parents can consent to and withdraw this consent at any time. The agreement allows the child to be voluntarily accommodated in foster care or with friends or family and this can be supported...
Why would the DVLA revoke my licence? UK law requires motorists to notify the DVLA of any medical condition which could impair their ability to drive. Medical reasons can include but are not limited to: epilepsy diabetes strokes and...
What is a Foster Carer? Foster Carers can offer children a safe and loving home when they are not able to remain with their birth parents. Why have my children been placed into Foster Care? Children may live with foster carers on a short or...
As of 24 th April 2023, Love Bombing is now recognised by the Crown Prosecution Service as a sign of emotional abuse in the UK, but what is Love Bombing and what are the signs? Love Bombing is often disguised as excessive flattery; showering with...
Childcare proceedings are confidential, which means the disclosure of information deriving from proceedings is governed by strict rules and protocols. If the Police wish to obtain information from your childcare proceedings, they need to make an application...
Being arrested for rape or any sort of sexual offence can be a terrifying experience. Having been through the turmoil of an arrest and interview you find yourself bailed to return to the police station. Of course, you are relieved that you have not been...
Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the government aimed to reform building safety legislation through the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022. The act is up to 260 pages and contains 6 parts. Various consultations have taken place to...
The Local Authority in each area will have a designated team who deal with Child Protection. They have a wide range of duties and powers as detailed within laws. One of the duties and powers of the Local Authority is contained within Section 34 and is around...
Lasting Powers of Attorney are some of the most important documents you can make in your lifetime. LPAs have been in the news over the last few weeks following a discussion about them by Martin Lewis who emphasises the importance of these documents. ...
Cryptocurrency is becoming more and more common in the investment market with at least 4.2 million people in the UK currently owning it in some form or another. You may choose to leave your digital assets to your family members or someone you trust, or,...
At the start of March there were 83,990 prisoners in England and Wales meaning that prisons were 1,200 prisoners short of the prison system’s useable operational capacity. What does this mean for me and my case? The new advice as a result of a...
A Section 91(14) Order is known as a ‘barring order’ and relates to Section 91(14) of the Children Act 1989. This type of Order allows the court to prevent individuals, usually parents, from making an application to the court without the...
The Court has the power to order a fact-finding hearing in care proceedings, yet many parents did not know what a fact-finding hearing is until speaking to a solicitor. This article aims to explain what a fact-finding hearing is in a simple manner. To...
A new piece of legislation came into forced on the 27 th February 2023, which means it is no longer possible for anyone under the age of 18 to marry or enter into a civil partnership. This is a huge change because previously, 16 and 17 years olds have been...
If you are a parent with additional needs, such as learning difficulties or cognitive functioning issues and the Local Authority are involved with your children, you may be entitled to extra support. What are Care Proceedings? When the Local Authority...
Special Reasons it is not a defence but an argument surrounding the circumstances of the offence and if argued successfully, could avoid or reduce a disqualification. The argument is specifically around the drink driving incident itself and not personal...
Johnson Astills is proud to be associated with a brand-new initiative to improve the experience of home movers and professionals involved in the home moving process. National Conveyancing Week has been launched to raise the profile of organisations who...
Generally, those subject to family court proceedings are protected from the details of their case being shared with the public. This applies to both private and public law family proceedings and only very limited reporting can take place with the...
As International Women’s Day on 8 March 2023 approaches, we are reflecting on the numerous and varied roles that women play in our society. It’s a time for looking forward, but also reflecting on the past. With this in mind, we have been...
Divorce solicitors and Valentine’s Day are not typically topics mentioned in the same sentence. However, as pre-nuptial agreements become more widely used, what better time to consider preparing a pre-nuptial agreement than Valentine’s Day,...
The Local Authority might have been successful in obtaining a care and placement order for your child, but that does not mean that your child will be adopted once a prospective adopter has been found. With permission from the Court, there could be one last...
What is Time to Talk Day? This year, Time to Talk day is on 2 February 2023. The day is organised by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness and promotes having conversations about mental health and how we can support ourselves and others. Why is Time to Talk...
Have you been asked by the Police to attend a voluntary interview, for a talk? A voluntary interview is conducted by a Police Officer when investigating a criminal offence, the person being interviewed is the suspect in the investigation. The interview is...
An ‘ID1’ is a form used to certify a person’s identity and is required by HM Land Registry where a party is not legally represented in a property transaction. The form helps to protect against identity fraud. The completed ID1 Form will be...
Sexual assault happens when someone touches another person in a sexual manner without their consent. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 says that someone commits sexual assault if all of the following happens; They intentionally touch another person. The...
What can I do? A Child Arrangements Orders can be useful when used to regulate arrangements in relation to a child, where parents cannot agree. It can order where the child lives, which can be with one or both parents (including both an equal split, or a...
How long should public law proceedings take? When the Local Authority initiate public law care proceedings, the standard duration of these proceedings should be 26 weeks which equates to 6 months. There may be some variance on this timeframe, and this...
Divorce Day 2023 We know that the New Year is typically a time for reflection, and this includes thinking about relationships. Often, this period sees an increase in couples deciding to end their marriage or civil partnership. The first working Monday in...
The Christmas season is fast approaching and the party season is well underway. Christmas drink drive campaigns may be starting to appear from local police forces. This will mean that once again police will be targeting drink drivers. Forces will prepare for...
What is a 'Nesting' arrangement? A ‘nesting’ arrangement is a type of shared care arrangement in respect of children, after parents have separated. With nesting, the children stay in the family home and the parents move around them,...
A section 47 investigation (S.47) stems from the Children Act 1989 which is legislation that governs England and Wales. It means the Local Authority/Children’s Services have received a referral which has been made to them by any persons who have...
The Local Authority issue the pre-proceedings process where there are significant concerns regarding a child or children that are suffering harm or a child or children that are likely to suffer serious harm. This could be physical, sexual, or emotional...
If a person dies without a Will, what happens to their estate (ie assets, such as property and cash) will be governed by the Intestacy Rules. Who is entitled to what will depend on their relationship with the deceased. A spouse or civil partner will...
In the 2021-2022 season the police continued to take action over disruptive fans at football, with over 2,100 arrests and 516 new Football Banning Orders issued. There is no doubt therefore that with the World Cup taking place, there will be a potential...
What is a s20 agreement? A s20 agreement allows the Local Authority to accommodate a child and place them in foster care or other placement without a Court order. If the Local Authority are involved in your children’s lives and believe that they...
‘Good Divorce Week’ is an annual campaign by Resolution, a community of family solicitors and other professionals who work with families and individuals promoting a non-confrontational approach to resolving family issues, including divorce, the...
For some people, the World Cup is nothing more than a passion for football. For others, it can ignite a fear of abuse from a partner with pre-existing patterns of this behaviour, causing anxieties and worry. Research has found that reports of domestic abuse...
Following on from the National Deprivation of Liberty (DoLs) Court being announced in July 2022, the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory have published data in relation to the use of such applications. Over the first 3 months, there has been 349 applications...
Can I be arrested for sitting in my car drinking ? Yes if you are sitting in the driver’s seat or are close to your car as if you are about to get in and drive it, the police can arrest you for being drunk in charge of a vehicle. Can I be...
Every year, International Men’s Day is recognised on 19 th November. This year’s International Men’s Day theme is “Helping Men and Boys”. The month of November is a significant time for men as it is also Movember where we focus...
If you feel that the police have imposed strict and unworkable bail conditions on you, our expert criminal defence solicitors at Johnson Astills can make an application to the Magistrates’ Court to have them changed or removed. What is pre charge...
The Local Authority will arrange a child protection conference for a child if there are concerns regarding the child being abused or it is believed that the child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. A child protection conference can also be...
Perpetrators of domestic violence could be made to sign a register if Labour wins power, the party has announced. Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed has said that perpetrators of domestic violence would be monitored in the same way as sex offenders....
If you are considering dressing up for Halloween, to go to a party as a scary character, be careful that your costume does not obstruct your ability to drive. If your costume could affect your driving, you could be in breach of the Highway Code. An example...
Today is World Menopause Day. A day providing an opportunity to break stigma that unfortunately still exist around menopause. A day to encourage open discussions about a natural transition in a woman’s life. Johnson Astills prides itself on...
There are 2 types of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA); Property & Financial Affairs and Health & Welfare. In this article, Johnson Astills will give you an introduction to the Property and Financial Affairs LPA. The Property and Financial...
Child protection is about making sure children are kept safe and free from harm. Local Authority Children’s Services often become involved with families where children might be at risk of harm. Child protection means that professional services can...
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng announced changes to the Stamp Duty Land Tax rules and these changes are effective from Friday 23 rd September 2022. This means that regardless of when exchange of contracts took place, so long as...
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