Family Life

Family dispute specialists who are part of the country’s largest network of family mediators are preparing for what could be their busiest time of the year, as couples across the region make it their new year resolution to end their relationships after a stressful holiday period.

Staff at National Family Mediation (NFM), which helps families to sort arrangements for children, property, finance and other important matters,say in their experience Christmas often proves the final straw for relationships that have been fragile for some time.

The charity says this year is...

Handling Christmas can be challenging at the best of times, but if you are dealing with it as a divorced or separated parent, it can be especially testing. Self-help separation website, Splitting Up advises parents to be as flexible as possible with holiday arrangements, but what else can you do to manage what can often be a difficult time of year for divorced or separated parents?

Plan early

If you are already divorced, then you may have a Child Arrangement order in place that includes plans for Christmas and other holidays. This may mean you have the children with you...

To help ensure that the toys you are buying this Christmas are safe Trading Standards has released two short videos.

The videos, about toy safety and buying electrical goods , feature Holly Traynor from the Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service and she gives her top tips and advice on what to look for and what to avoid.

Trading Standards advises that if you are buying new products, you should ensure they display a CE mark, proof that the product has passed EU safety regulations, or the UKCA mark, which is the UK equivalent.

All toys, including ‘free...

As a long-term member of Resolution which seeks to resolve family matters as constructively as possible, The Family Law Company is keen to raise awareness of Good Divorce Week.

The campaign was created to help limit conflict in divorce in the hope that separating couples are more likely to remain on amicable terms. This year Good Divorce Week runs from 28 November to 2 December and is themed Ending the Family Court Crisis.

Solicitor Nahanni Simcox from The Family Law Company explains “While some people might wonder how a divorce can ever be ‘good’, the fact is that by...