The Austin Lafferty Solicitors & Estate Agents Blog

National charity, 4Children, has recently published the results of its research into conflict and violence in families.

The study found that four million families with children experience some sort of conflict within the home, and that 950,000 children are affected by domestic violence, either directly as victims of violence, or indirectly by witnessing violence.

Like many problems that can lead to family breakdown, family conflict and violence can often remain hidden within families for years because of a reluctance to openly admit to the problem and seek help.

4Children is calling on councils to wake-up to the true extent of conflict in families. Separate research by 4Children has revealed that almost half (46%) of local authorities do not have a domestic violence strategy which mentions violence committed by family members. One in ten (11%) don’t have a domestic violence strategy at all.

Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children, said:

"Domestic violence is familiar ground, but family violence is often hidden from view. Conflict need not turn to violence if families get the help they need. Violence within the family threatens lives, breaks up families and has severe ongoing psychological and physical effects on hundreds of thousands of parents and children every year.

“Family violence is one of the biggest causes of family crisis in the UK, one which puts lives at risk, isolates people, undermines good mental health and costs the taxpayer in excess of £3.1bn per year  in costs to the NHS, the courts and social services. 4Children's Give Me Strength campaign is focused on getting Government and the whole of society to work together to prevent family crisis.

"Even more worryingly, children who face or witness family violence in the home are significantly more likely to commit other crimes in later life. Up to 79% of those identified as the most troubled families in some authorities are living with domestic violence and in some areas three quarters of children on child protection orders are on the registers because of concerns over domestic violence in the family. Unless urgent action is taken, it is clear that this cycle of violence will continue to plague families for generations to come."

A judge in Fort Lauderdale has ordered a bickering couple to go out on a date together, reports the Sun Sentinel.

The couple had come before the judge after an argument triggered by the man forgetting his wife's birthday escalated into a mild domestic disturbance.

According to the Sun Sentinel, the judge directed: “He’s going to stop by somewhere and he’s going to get some flowers. And then he’s going to go home, pick up his wife, get dressed, take her to Red Lobster. And then after they have Red Lobster, they’re going to go bowling.”

The judge stressed that he wouldn't have given such a “whimsical” sentence if the domestic violence accusation had been more serious, or if the wife had been in danger of being hurt.

He also ordered that the couple attend marriage counseling.

Barnardo’s Scotland is issuing a desperate plea for people to put themselves forward as potential foster carers – particularly for older children.

While there is considerable focus on placing babies and younger children, the charity highlights the needs of older children. There needs to be a range of placements so that the system works for all children and young people.

Barnardo’s Scotland acting director, SallyAnn Kelly, said:

“All children and young people deserve and need a loving home in order to thrive. We urgently need more people to consider becoming foster parents to children over the age of ten.

We know from our experience that older children in care can need extra support. They need carers who can help them overcome emotional and behavioral difficulties, and provide much needed stability.”

There is a general shortage of foster families across Scotland, with at least 1,700 new foster families needing to be found within the next 12 months.

The situation is particularly worrying as the number of children in care who need foster families has continued to increase year on year, but the number of carers coming forward has not matched the need. Figures from the Fostering Network show that the number of children in care in the UK living with foster families at any one time has risen every year since 2005, from 49,700 to over 59,000 in 2011.

The Registrar General for Scotland has published provisional figures for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships registered during the third quarter of 2011.

The figures show:

- 15,216 births were registered in the third quarter of the year - 306 (2.1%) more than in the same period of 2010.

- At 11,651, the number of marriages was 74 more than in the third quarter of 2010.

- 194 civil partnerships (74 male and 120 female) were registered in the quarter, 23 more than in the third quarter of 2010.

- 12,615 deaths were registered in Scotland in the third quarter of 2011 - 0.9% more than in the same period of 2010.

- Deaths from cancer rose by 0.3%. Deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke fell by 5.8% and 0.9 % respectively.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has spoken at an event to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

In his speech, he said:

“We are all aware that violence against women and girls takes many forms. It includes rape, domestic violence and harassment at work. There is abuse in school, female genital mutilation and sexual violence in armed conflict. This violence spans the globe. And it is predominantly inflicted by men.

These are the facts.

Whether in developing or developed countries, the pervasiveness of this unacceptable violence should shock us all. Violence — and in many cases the mere threat of it — is one of the most significant barriers to women’s full equality.

All women and girls have the fundamental right to live free of violence. This right is enshrined in international human rights and humanitarian law. And it lies at the heart of my “UNiTE to End Violence against Women” campaign. 

Since its launch in 2008, the campaign has galvanized Governments, civil society, the corporate sector, athletes, artists, women, men and young people around the world. The social mobilisation platform “Say NO — UNiTE” has recorded more than 2 million activities worldwide — from protest marches to public awareness campaigns, from legislative advocacy to assistance for victims.

Many of these activities have received support from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The Fund is now 15 years old. It has delivered grants worth $77 million to 339 initiatives in 126 countries and territories.

Our challenge is to ensure that the message of “zero tolerance” is heard far and wide. To do that, we must engage all of society — and especially young people — in particular young men and boys. Too many young men still grow up surrounded by outmoded male stereotypes.

Two years ago, I launched a Network of Men Leaders to address this issue. Older men should set a good example in saying no to such violence. We need to promote healthy models of masculinity. But, to do that, young men and boys must be encouraged to become the advocates we need. We need this generation of men to make a break from the ingrained behaviour of generations.

We want people everywhere to speak up; to say “No” to violence against women and girls.”

The four UK Children's Commissioners have called for an urgent reassessment of the impact of the Coalition Government's Spending Review on the needs of vulnerable children.

In a joint report to mark the International Day of the Child, the Commissioners outline serious concerns at the high levels of persistent poverty across the UK. They highlight the need for children to be given priority in national and local budgets so that vital children's services are protected.

The report also examines progress made in five areas - participation, children with disabilities, child poverty, children seeking asylum and juvenile justice - against the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, an internationally binding minimum standard for all children and young people that was ratified by the UK Government twenty years ago.

This midterm report comes half way through the Convention's reporting cycle, which requires UK Government, as the State Party, to report on progress to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child every five years. The UK last reported to the Committee in 2008.