2024 promises to be a year of significant developments, impacting issues from parental leave to court transparency.
Measures that will be implemented:
- New Minimum Marriage Age: No more under-18 “I dos.” The minimum age to enter a marriage and civil partnerships has risen to 18, with the aim of protecting vulnerable young people from forced marriages.
- The Carer’s Leave Act will come into effect in April 2024. Employees will be given the right to at least one week’s leave per year to care for dependents, offering much-needed flexibility.
- The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 will also come into effect: Parents with newborns requiring neonatal care will be entitled to an additional 12 weeks of paid leave, easing the emotional and financial strain on them.
Key areas to watch:
- Court fees are likely to rise from £593 to £652 for a divorce, from £232 to £255 for a children application and from £275 to £303 for a contested financial application. Court solutions are expensive. The court fees alone are unaffordable for many, let alone the legal fees incurred through a court process.
What it means for you: Focus on processes out of court to avoid significant court costs and conflict.
- Transparency in courtrooms was piloted initially in 2023 in the Central Family Court, Leeds and Birmingham Family Courts to promote openness and demystify the court process. The pilot will now be further extended nationwide to include Family Courts locally in Guildford and Dorset. The scheme allows accredited journalists and bloggers to report on financial remedy hearings in divorce and civil partnership dissolutions.
What it means for you: To ensure your privacy will be protected, reach settlements by consent out of court, particularly if you have a family business or other family issues you wish to remain confidential.
- Financial Remedies Review: An independent Family Law Review will report in 2024 and is considering significant reforms in court processes and the discretionary way in which family assets are divided on divorce and civil partnership dissolution. The review is considering the fairness and effectiveness of the current law which emanates from statute passed over 50 years ago. evaluate the effectiveness of current laws and ensure fairness for divorcing couples. The review is aiming to bring the law more up to date by making relevant the financial needs of children agreed over 18 and pension-related orders.
What it means for you: You should ensure that you receive up to date legal advice to consider any changes in the law.
- Mandatory Mediation: Last year’s review of mediation in the consultation ‘Supporting earlier resolution of private family law arrangements’ is likely to recommend that suitable low-level family disputes should be subject to mandatory mediation before a court application is issued, promoting cheaper and more cost effective resolutions and reducing the court backlog.
What it means for you: More cases are likely to be settled out of court and more important family decisions will be made together with the support of a qualified mediator, rather than placing the outcome in the hands of the family court. More children will escape the impact on their family and emotional well-being of acrimonious and protracted court cases.
Other Updates:
- Parental Responsibility Review: The Victims and Prisoners Bill proposes to automatically remove parental responsibility from a parent convicted of the murder or voluntary manslaughter of a co-parent to protect the most vulnerable children. The legislation change followed a campaign by the family of Jade Ward following her death. Convicted offenders will no longer be entitled to be provided with information about their children or to make important decisions about their lives.
It is hoped that these changes will create a more supportive and accessible system for families across the UK.
Our aim is to steer you through the complexities of family law with empathy, experience and understanding.
For further information if you face family law challenges, contact our experienced family lawyers for an appraisal of your situation
Email : joannehouston@just-family.law.com
Telephone : 01962 217640
